Recycling of Aluminium

95% - 98% of aluminium can be recycled.
95-98% of aluminium can be recycled.

Did you know that 75% of all aluminium production is still in use thanks to the durability of the metal and its excellent recycling characteristics?

Here, on this page, you will find information about Alumeco’s aluminium recycling policy and a simplified explanation of the cycle aluminium goes through during the recycling process.

Thorough sorting results in good recycling efficiency

Europe is a leader in aluminium recycling and this position is something to which Alumeco wishes to continue to actively contribute to. This contribution consists, among other things, of thorough sorting of our scrap metal, which is collected in containers sorted by alloy type - ready for recycling. In fact, this careful sorting of waste helps ensure that aluminium can be reused repeatedly to make the same types of products. Thus, optimal utilisation of aluminium resources is achieved.

See how Alumeco is collecting and sorting aluminium scrap from our Service Center:

The recycling loop

In technical terms, we distinguish between two different recycling loops: closed and open. With closed-loop recycling, aluminium is re-used in order to create the same product as before, thereby avoiding loss of properties. The open-loop recycling works the other way round. In Europe, closed-loop recycling is dominant among recycling methods. For example, here, there is an extensive system for recycling drink cans.

In the case of closed-loop recycling, some aluminium products, for example cans, are collected, sorted and then re-melted and thereby recycled into new cans. From a purely environmental perspective, it is irrelevant whether the aluminium is recycled via open- or closed-loop recycling.

Aluminium recycling

See how aluminium is recycled:

Recycling and market needs

We are often asked if we are able to indicate the amount of our aluminium which is recycled once or several times. This is not possible as a large part of our material comes from new production as the global market for aluminium is subject to high growth and where recycled aluminium / scrap is not enough to cover the actual demand. We recycle all the possible material in our system and because of high market needs, there is not enough amount of recycled aluminum at our disposal.

For more information, please find the latest figures covering the primary aluminium production.

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