Al in Wasteland: A Business Guide to Aluminum Cans Recycling

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Did you know, an average US employee consumes 2.6 aluminum cans of soda per day?

Do you run a business? How much soda does your employees consume every day?

Honestly, it does not matter!

What really matters is, how many of those soda cans that end up in your trash bin daily do you actually recycle?

Why recycle aluminum cans, you ask?

Aluminum has many uses. It’s used in cars, furniture, electronic appliances, building parts, wires, airplane bodies, utensils etc. etc.

Of course, to produce these items, manufacturers need aluminum.

Where do manufacturers get the aluminum from?

They either extract it from earth’s core, or they use recycled aluminum scrap.

Since extracting aluminum from earth’s core can be an expensive option, manufacturers mostly rely on recycled scrap. And they pay good money to scrap suppliersin exchange of recycled scrap.

Recycling aluminum cans can thus help you generate additional income.

How much additional business income can you expect to generate from aluminum can recycling?

To put things into perspective, according to The Aluminum Association, $700 million worth of aluminum cans are disposed off in our landfills every year.

Secondly, using recycled aluminum for manufacturing also reduces carbon footprint. Not to mention, it frees up our landfills.So, there are environmental benefits to recycling aluminum cans as well.

This begs the question: How do you get started with aluminum cans recycling?

The very first thing you need to know about aluminum cans recycling is, clean and dry aluminum cans are of the highest value in recycling industry. You can choose to take your soda aluminum cans as is to a nearby recycling center, but if you wash them and then take them, they will pay you more money in exchange for the scrap.

The takeaway?

Start with setting up a washing system at your facility where you can wash and dry aluminum cans.

Next, you need to focus on easy, convenient and cost-effective storage and transportation of aluminum cans.

Storage and transportation of aluminum cans can be made easy by baling them.

Baling is a process of converting large amount of waste materials into compact blocks of mass. It enables easy, convenient and cost-effective storage and transportation of recyclables.

You can use vertical or horizontal balers for baling aluminum cans. Horizontal balers are often preferred because they produce consistent bales and have higher processing capacity. However, they also cost more in comparison to vertical balers.

You can adjust bale specifications depending on what your recycling facility recommends. Most centers accept aluminum bales weighingin the range of 150 to 1000 pounds.

Additionally, you can also invest in a shredder to maximize your earnings from the sales of recycled aluminum cans.

Need professional help with the design and implementation of an aluminum can recycling program for your business?

Crigler Enterprises Inc. is at your service!

We’re one of the leading suppliers of aluminum recycling solutions. We sell new and used aluminum recycling equipment including balers, shredders and recycling conveyor belt systems. For more details, please view our product catalogue or contact us by filling our online form.