Aluminum foil is made of the same material as soda cans (aluminum), but since it is most often contaminated with food waste or mixed with plastic (such as yogurt tops), there is no guarantee that you can recycle it with aluminum cans.
Why recycle aluminum foil?
– Aluminum is one of the most valuable materials you can recycle. It can be reprocessed into new aluminum in just 60 days
– Nearly 75% of the aluminum produced in the U.S. is still in use
– The aluminum foil that the Americans deal with each year is enough to build an entire fleet.
How to recycle aluminum foil and pallets?
To recycle aluminum foil and pallets, simply rinse them quickly after use, and then put them directly into roadside recycling containers. All recyclables are sent to a material recovery facility, where the aluminum foil and pallets are sorted and packaged together with the aluminum cans, and then shipped to recyclers to make new cans or pallets. The aluminum recycling flow is one of the most effective flows in recycling; recycled aluminum may be used as a new pallet or back on the shelf in less than a month!
The Advantage of Recycling Aluminum Foil
Reuse opportunities
Another option for aluminum foil is to reuse it to give it a second life. The aluminum foil can be washed in the dishwasher, so you can reuse it again and again. Or try to be creative with one of the following ideas!
Get rid of grease
Instead of buying a new steel wool pad, try to tie up the old aluminum foil and scrub any caked grease that has accumulated on the stovetop or grill.
Eliminate electrostatic adsorption
Do you hate it when your clothes come out of the dryer with static electricity? When you do the next load, try adding a piece of aluminum foil directly to your dryer!
Protect your garden
Are there any troublesome pests and insect problems? Place the aluminum foil on the bottom of the plant! You can also hang chaff in your garden; the shiny new decoration will scare away animals that might come to taste your berries and lettuce.
Protect your silverware
It’s very simple, just put your silverware on the aluminum foil to slow down the deterioration of the metal. You can also use just a little aluminum foil, baking soda and water to make old, tarnished silverware look new!
Take it camping
Aluminum foil is great for cooking on camping trips and for other miscellaneous purposes, including waterproofing. Try wrapping your matchboxes in aluminum foil to prevent them from getting wet the next time you go out.
On the other hand, recycling aluminum has significant environmental benefits
– Recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than producing aluminum from raw materials.
– It can also save 97% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the primary production process.
– Recycling 1 ton of aluminum can reduce 9 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 4 tons of bauxite, which is the raw material for making aluminum. One ton of carbon dioxide is equivalent to driving more than 3,500 miles.
– Metal is a permanently available resource. It is always 100% recyclable, so every time it passes through the recycling cycle, the carbon savings will increase.
– Using recycled metal to make aluminum cans is 20 times more energy-efficient than using the main material (that is, made from raw materials)
– Empty beverages that you can recycle can go through the recycling process and be resold as brand-new cans in just 60 days.
