When you recycle your cans, they can be transformed into building materials, car parts or new cans.
You can recycle all food and drinks cans because they are all made from aluminium or steel. After they are rinsed clean, you can put your cans into your kerbside recycling container (in most areas), or take them to your local recycling point. There are around 2,100 can recycling points across Scotland. The cans are collected and taken to a reprocessing facility.
Facts about cans
- Aluminium cans are lighter than steel, and the base of an aluminium can is shinier
- A magnet will stick to a steel can, but it will not stick to an aluminium can.
- Making one can from raw materials uses the same amount of energy that it takes to recycle 20 cans.
- In 2006, 48% of all aluminium drinks cans were recycled (Alupro).
- Recycling aluminium is 20 times more efficient than making it from the raw material, bauxite (Alupro).
Does recycling cans save energy?
- Over 9000kg of CO² equivalents are saved by recycling 1000kg of aluminium cans compared to sending them to landfill.
