Aluminium recycling is one of the most important and widely practised forms of metal recycling in industry. Aluminium is one of the most commonly used metals and also one of the most recyclable.
Manufacturers who want to play their part in building the UK's circular economy, therefore, need to prioritise aluminium recycling and improve their bottom line in the process. As Waste Mission began our operations in metal waste management over 40 years ago, the team have developed considerable expertise in this area.
Aluminium is one of the most recycled materials in the world, continually recycled across industries without loss of quality.
Here, we'll discuss why aluminium recycling matters, what the recycling process is and how your business can get the best possible benefit from recycling the scrap aluminium that you produce.
Why Recycling Aluminium Matters
Aluminium is a highly versatile material commonly used in packaging, as well as the automotive, aerospace, construction, and electronics industries. Its strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and conductivity make it indispensable. Importantly, aluminium is a permanent material that can be recycled indefinitely without degrading or losing its properties.
The circular economy recognises that most so-called 'waste' materials are, in fact, precious resources that we need to keep in use for as long as possible. Recycling is a key component of the circular economy, as it diverts waste and reduces the need for virgin materials, thereby significantly cutting greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Unlike other metals, aluminium can be continually recycled without any loss of quality, making it unique in its support for a sustainable, circular economy.
Among the many reasons to recycle metal, recycling one tonne of aluminium:
- Uses 95% less energy than producing aluminium from raw materials
- Saves nine tonnes of CO2 emissions.
- Saves four tons of bauxite, the raw material used to produce aluminium.
- Contributes to the millions of tonnes of aluminium recycled globally each year, supporting sustainability efforts worldwide.
Environmental And Business Considerations
The many compelling reasons to recycle aluminium include environmental and business ones.
Environmental case: Although it's well known that the value of aluminium is well worth recycling rather than sending to landfill, recycling aluminium also saves energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to primary aluminium production.
The environmental case:
- It can take hundreds of years for aluminium to decompose in a landfill.
- Mismanaged aluminium waste can contaminate land and water courses.
- Producing new aluminium through mining and smelting is an energy-intensive process with a heavy carbon footprint.
- Recycling aluminium is essential for minimising environmental impacts and supporting sustainability in the industry.
The business case:
- Secondary aluminium is generally 30–50 per cent cheaper than primary.
- Price volatility of bauxite and energy costs strengthens the case for recycling.
- By working with a reputable metal recycling company such as Waste Mission, you can create a revenue stream from recycling aluminium and maximise your earning potential through proper storage and segregation.
Why Recycling Aluminium Will Matter Even More in the Future
Demand for aluminium is growing in the UK. As we transition away from fossil fuels and towards electric vehicles, aluminium plays a crucial role in reducing the weight of electric vehicles and in creating battery packs, for example.
Aluminium's recyclability is especially important for industrial markets such as automotive, construction, and electronics, where its environmental benefits and role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions are highly valued.
At the same time, countries are recognising the risks of being dependent on other nations for key commodities. Russia's war in Ukraine, which has disrupted international supplies, is just one example of a changing landscape which is prompting the UK to become more self-reliant.
Additionally, the UK will soon introduce the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2027. This will place a 'carbon price' on certain goods imported to the UK, including those from the aluminium sector. Currently, China also produces approximately 60 per cent of the world's primary aluminium, and so this carbon price would be significant.
For all these reasons, it makes good business and environmental sense for the UK to look at producing secondary (recycled) aluminium rather than primary aluminium.
Key Regulations in the UK Relating to Aluminium Recycling (Manufacturers)
The regulatory environment around recycling is becoming tighter, as, for example, the UK government sets its sights on targets such as recycling between 61 and 63 per cent of aluminium in 2025–2027. Relevant regulations include:
- The UK's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging places greater financial and reporting obligations on businesses that place packaging, including aluminium, on the market. Producers must register, declare quantities and materials (such as aluminium, plastic, and steel), and pay fees per tonne based on type, recyclability, and weight. Less recyclable formats face higher costs.
- Manufacturers must comply with the Waste Duty of Care and wider environmental rules such as the Environmental Protection Act 1990, covering safe storage, handling and documentation of aluminium scrap, as well as avoiding contamination and hazardous coatings. Indirect regulatory pressures also come from standards and certifications such as the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative.
Comparing Production Processes For Primary And Secondary Aluminium
To understand the benefits of aluminium recycling fully, it's important to understand the differences in the production processes involved for primary and secondary aluminium.
Primary aluminium production involves extracting aluminium from bauxite ore through processes such as electrolysis and smelting. These steps require a large amount of electricity and energy, making primary production highly energy-intensive.
In contrast, secondary aluminium production, or recycling, is a much more energy-efficient process. Recycling aluminium requires only a fraction of the energy needed for primary production, making it a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option.
Producing new aluminium
To produce primary aluminium, miners extract bauxite, and from it, they obtain alumina (or aluminium oxide), a naturally occurring crystalline mineral. The alumina then has to be refined and the aluminium smelted in an energy-intensive process. This involves the following stages:
International Aluminium statistics for 2023 clearly show that 96 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions for the aluminium sector are associated with the processes involved in extracting and refining aluminium from the ore.
The aluminium recycling process
A waste management specialist, such as Waste Mission, typically follows these steps for gathering and processing scrap aluminium:
- Collection: Used aluminium products, such as cans, foil, swarf, and other scrap materials, are gathered. Sorting, segregating, and storing different types of metal separately on-site maximises value recovery and reduces processing costs at recycling facilities.
- Sorting: Once collected, the aluminium is sorted into different types based on the alloy and the form of the material. Waste Mission uses Niton X-ray technology for material segregation: this literally X-rays the metal and provides a definitive analysis of its exact grade. During this step, aluminium shreds—pre-treated scrap material—are also separated and prepared for further recycling.
- Baling: As a pre-treatment step, baling reduces the size of aluminium scrap, including post-consumer scrap, to facilitate sorting and improve melting efficiency.
- Processing: The team have a large range of processing options on site, including (but not limited to) shot tumbling in order to clean materials, baling, cropping, and granulating. All these processes allow us to yield the highest possible financial returns on the metal we process. The recycling plant plays a crucial role in transforming collected and processed aluminium scrap into new products through melting and casting, ultimately producing recycled aluminium as the end result of the recycling process.
The remelting process
To recycle aluminium effectively, the waste metal needs to end up in a foundry and be put through the following steps:
- Melting: The shredded aluminium is then melted in a furnace at high temperatures, typically around 660°C (1220°F). This process is known as 'remelting'.
- Purification: To remove any impurities in the melted aluminium, a process called 'fluxing' is used. This involves adding chemicals to the melted metal to separate any unwanted materials.
- Casting: Once the aluminium is pure and molten, it can be cast into different shapes and forms, ready to be turned into new aluminium products.
It's commonly said that an aluminium drink can that is recycled can pass through the recycling process and be back on sale as a new can in just 60 days.
According to Innovate UK Business Connect, there is untapped potential for reprocessing in the UK. As recycled aluminium produced in the UK is generally low-grade as it is contaminated with other materials, its value is lower, which means 'overall, the UK imports aluminium at almost 50% higher value than it exports'.
Beverage Can Recycling: A Benchmark for Industrial Aluminium Recovery
Drinks cans represent a great example of an efficient closed-loop aluminium recycling system within the manufacturing sector. They are among the most recycled aluminium products globally, demonstrating the metal's unique ability to be recycled repeatedly without any degradation in quality.
The process begins with the collection of used beverage containers from commercial and industrial waste streams. These are then sorted to remove contaminants and segregate alloys. The sorted aluminium is shredded into smaller fragments to facilitate melting. The molten aluminium is subsequently cast into ingots, which manufacturers use as raw material for producing new aluminium cans, thereby maximising resource efficiency and reducing reliance on primary aluminium production.
Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact
This recycling model is highly energy efficient, requiring up to 95% less energy than producing aluminium from bauxite ore, according to data from the International Aluminium Institute. The significant reduction in energy consumption translates directly into lower greenhouse gas emissions, making aluminium recycling a critical component in corporate sustainability strategies.
For manufacturers, this means substantial cost savings on energy and raw materials, alongside compliance with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. Recycling one tonne of aluminium saves approximately nine tonnes of CO2 emissions and conserves four tonnes of bauxite, underscoring the environmental benefits of integrating recycled aluminium into production processes.
Addressing Aluminium Scrap Challenges in Manufacturing
Aluminium scrap in manufacturing comes in various forms, including sheets, offcuts, swarf, and punchings, each presenting unique challenges for storage and recycling. Swarf, in particular, can vary from dense and oily to light and contaminated with iron particles, complicating handling and processing.
Effective segregation and storage solutions are essential to maintain scrap quality and facilitate efficient recycling. For example, compacting swarf into briquettes can reduce volume, separate contaminants like coolants, and improve scrap value. Such practices not only optimise recycling outcomes but also enhance workplace safety and operational efficiency.
By adopting best practices in scrap management and using proven recycling methodologies, manufacturers can maximise the economic and environmental returns from aluminium recycling, contributing to a more sustainable industrial circular economy.
How Waste Mission Helped Drury's Maximise its Metal Recycling
Drurys Engineering, a leading manufacturer of components for the aerospace, defence, and other industrial sectors, had been using a large security skip for aluminium swarf and smaller containers for non-ferrous swarf, all of which occupied valuable space on site. Furthermore, its recycling systems did not allow for contaminants such as coolant to be filtered out, meaning that any metal it could recycle was of poor quality.
Acting on Waste Mission's advice, Drurys installed a pucking machine which not only compacts aluminium swarf into 'pucks' (briquettes) but also separates fluids and oils associated with the cutting process, such as coolants.
This has had several benefits:
- eliminated the need for a large skip in favour of smaller, more manageable stillages
- increased the scrap aluminium's value
- allowed for the recovery and reuse of extracted coolant, creating a new revenue stream
Furthermore, the pucking machine's integrated wheelie-bin tipper minimises manual handling, removing the need to tip swarf from height and greatly enhancing health and safety on site.
Going Further to Support The Circular Economy
Manufacturers who want to support the circular economy can also take further steps to ensure their aluminium products or goods with aluminium packaging are more easily recycled.
These include:
- Accurate tracking of what packaging/aluminium content they put into the market (types, weights, alloy, etc.)
- Designing packaging so that it is recyclable under UK infrastructure (simpler materials, fewer composite layers, standard alloys, minimal coatings/ink/adhesives that hinder recycling)
- Ensuring correct labelling so consumers/recyclers know what is recyclable
- Budgeting for EPR fees: harder-to-recycle aluminium packaging will cost more
- Participating in take-back schemes or designing for the end-of-life recoverability of products and packaging.
Aluminium can be recycled endlessly without losing quality, making it an ideal material for a circular economy. Manufacturers play a key role in designing and producing products that retain material value and cut down on waste. And they also have a pivotal part to play in ensuring that the UK reaches its full potential in aluminium recycling, for the benefit of both business and the environment.
Book a waste review with us today to see how we can help you make the most of your aluminium scrap.
