Recent Post
Archive
- January 2020
- November 2019
Custom Menu
Aluminum is Awesome
Craft Naturals
In case you haven’t heard, single-use plastics are bad! More and more evidence points to their negative impacts and contribution to climate change. Governments around the world, including the Government of Canada, have acknowledged plastic pollution and are working towards the ban of single-use plastic products and packaging.
Consumers looking to avoid plastic and shop more consciously are left conflicted as to what packaging alternatives they should be considering when purchasing products. For those looking for a more eco-friendly and practical solution, the answer is aluminum.
When it comes to recycling, aluminum cans are the most recycled container — about two-thirds recycled worldwide. The modern aluminum recycling process is fast and efficient making aluminum extremely versatile and ideal for packaging.
Why Aluminum is Awesome
Aluminum has many characteristics which make it one of the most versatile packaging products. This includes its weight (or lack thereof), flexibility, strength and resistance to corrosion. One of the key factors that makes aluminum so awesome is its ability to be recycled and reused to create new material.
When aluminum is recycled, it only requires five percent of the energy used to create the original material. Due to its hardiness, aluminum remains the same quality every time it is repurposed. And with the efficiency of the modern aluminum recycling process, recycled aluminum can be turned into a new can in just 60 days.
The Aluminum Recycling Process
Once aluminum cans are picked up from recycling bins, they are delivered to waste transfer stations to be sorted. Often, magnets are used to separate aluminum from other metals as aluminum is not magnetic.
The cans are then transported to a reprocessing plant, where the aluminum is shredded into small pieces. The pieces are then cleaned using mechanical scrubbing and chemical processes. The cleaned aluminum shreds are assembled into bales and loaded into high-capacity furnaces set at temperatures over 750 degrees Celcius.
During the melting phase, mechanical processes or nitrogen and chlorine gas may be used to purify the metal and remove any byproducts. Depending on the intended use of the recycled aluminum, different metals may be added to the molten mixture to create alloys.
The molten metal is then poured into forms to create blocks called ingots, which are then transported to manufacturing plants to be reformed into new products. When using the recycled aluminum to make cans, the ingots are processed through mills into sheets which are then formed into aluminum cans.
If you’re looking to eliminate plastic packaging in your life, consider switching to Craft Naturals aluminum packaged bath and body products. With the ease of recycling and the lasting integrity of the material, aluminum packaging offers a great alternative to single-use products and packaging.