Steel and Aluminium Cans
Last updated | 07/01/2008
All types of metal can be recycled, fizzy drinks and many different foodstuffs such as soup, baked beans and tomatoes all come in aluminium or steel cans which are all easily recycled. Aerosol cans such as deodarant and hairspray cans, are also recyclable. They should be placed along with food and drinks cans in the recycling containers.
How to recycle your cans
Recycling your food and drinks cans is easy, simple wash them out, remove any labelling and pop them into your nearest can bank. Please remove the lids on your aerosol cans. Both steel and aluminium can now go into the same bank. Cans will often carry the following logos, identifying them as recyclable.
Why recycle cans?
Re-melting aluminium to form new metal uses only 5% of the energy that is required to make it from raw materials. A further advantage is that it can be recycled repeatedly without any loss of quality.
Steel is also easily separated magnetically allowing collection mixed with aluminium. Steel recycling only use 70% of the energy required to produce virgin steel.
The old cans are eventually made into new cans or other metal products such as household appliances and cars.
Find out how the recycling process works by visiting these webpages:
Aluminium foil is recycled with other aluminium scraps into light-weight engine components such as cylinder heads for cars. Using aluminium for this purpose is even more environmentally friendly as it reduces the weight of the vehicle improving fuel efficiency throughout its lifetime and the components can be used again.
Presently only Friarton Recycling Centre in Perth collects aluminium foil.
Foil should be washed and free from any other material and includes:
- foil milk bottle tops
- tops of cartons
- baking and freezing trays
- kitchen foil
- wrappers from sweets and biscuits
Metal coated plastic film, which is often used for crisp and snack packets cannot be recycled. To test this, scrunch the foil in your hand to see whether it springs back. If it does then it is not recyclable.
