Re-melting

Baled cans are forklifted into a gas-fired rotary furnace which melts the aluminium in temperatures as high as 780°C. The paint and coating on the aluminium cans melts and is captured by a salt material called dross which is later sent to a scrap metal dealer who extracts any remaining aluminium.

The melted aluminium is poured out of the furnace into a crucible and then tested to determine its alloy content. The molten material is 'topped up' with primary metals like magnesium, copper and manganese so that it is the right consistency to make the alloy for beverage can sheet and is then poured to create an ingot which goes into the rolling mill for can sheet production.

Used aluminium beverage cans that are recycled in Australia are primarily recycled back into beverage cans. Aluminium does not 'degrade' during the recycling process, which means it can be recycled over and over again.

Recycled aluminium is also used in both high quality cast and wrought products. The final aluminium product will vary in its make-up of other elements according to the end use. For instance, cast aluminium is used to manufacture car parts - the more aluminium in a car the lighter and therefore more fuel-efficient it is. This means less exhaust emissions, which is a good thing for the environment.