Cans

Every year millions of food, drink and pet food cans are collected in Nottinghamshire through a network of banks and kerbside recycling schemes.

The can banks in Nottinghamshire accept steel and aluminium cans.  Some banks can accept both metals, some banks only accept steel cans, others only aluminium.  Please check the labels on the banks to see if the steel or aluminium cans need to be separated or if the banks can accept mixed cans.  Where the metals are kept separate the cans go directly to a reprocessors.  From the mixed can banks, they go to a sorting facility where they are separated into the two different types of metals which are then sent for reprocessing.

Did you know?

Industry strives to develop can containers that are lightweight and environmentally friendly.  Steel and aluminium cans are 100% recyclable.

Every UK resident uses the equivalent of 240 steel cans each year.. Each year 2 billion steel cans are recycled - thats about 7 million cans every working day, enough to make a circle around the world 5 times. Every new steel can contains 25% recycled steel and when steel cans are recycled even the tin coating is reused

For every tonne of steel cans recycled 1.5 tonnes of iron ore, 0.5 tonnes of coal and 40% of water required in the production process is saved.  Every UK resident uses the equivalent of 240 steel cans each year.

Aluminium

Aluminium is a high price commodity and it is the third most abundant element found in the earths crust after silicon and oxygen.

The benefits of using aluminium are that it:

• is lightweight but at the same time very strong;
• does not rust or corrode when exposed to the atmosphere or water;
• is very versatile – it can be easily cast and moulded, extruded and rolled; it can be painted, laminated, engraved and printed on.
• is a good conductor of heat and electricity;

Aluminium  can be recycled over and over again without any loss in quality. The recycling process saves energy and reduces pressure on raw material resources and prevents habitat destruction

Did you know?

over 75% of canned drinks are sold in aluminium cans and a recycled aluminium can saves enough energy to run a Television for three hours

For more information on aluminium recycling, visit www.alupro.org.uk or www.world-aluminium.org

Why recycle cans?

• Reduces waste - 5% of household waste is metal.
• Saves energy - aluminium can, 95% energy saving; steel can, 75% energy saving.
• Saves raw materials, extending the life cycle of metal.
• Saves money - saves on raw materials, energy, and dsposal costs.
• Reduces imports of the aluminium ore, bauxite.

We can recycle:

    √  Clean, empty metal cans
    √  Food cans, washed and preferably squashed
    √  Drink cans - aluminium and steel

We cannot recycle:

    X  Dirty or full cans
    X  Paint tins
    X  Aerosols
    X  Any other metal containers

Each of our household waste recycling centres has facilities for can recycling. Your local council will also have recycling facilities that are close to your home.

So what happens?

Some of the cans are mixed when they are collected so they are taken to a plant where they are sorted.  A magnet helps remove the steel cans from the aluminium ones.  The cans are then baled and sent for reprocessing.

Once the two types of metal are separated, they can be recycled into many different products.  

Aluminium is usually recycled into more cans that are filled and returned to the shops. Steel can be recycled into many different things such as bicycles, paper clips, scissors or maybe more cans.

For information on steel recycling, visit www.scrib.org

For more information on can recycling visit www.thinkcans.com