THE RECOVERY PROFESSIONAL ANALYSES ALUMINIUM CANS

LABELLING: Very good - good. While paper labels on any type of bottling or canning are normally lost in the recycling process, cans without labels do not present this problem. The characteristics and markings are already printed or stamped onto the surface of the can through a process called serigraphy. This process uses lacquer microns which light up when the material is melted. The serigraphy process used on drinks cans such as Nestea, San Miguel or Estrella Damm beers, in which micro-lacquering is used on an Aluminium base (giving the cans a metallic look), are more ecological than cans that are completely lacquered, such as the Coca-Cola and Fanta cans, etc.

PULL-TABS: Very good. These form part of the can itself and the opening mechanism, as they remain attached to the can, they do not become lost nor do they represent any particular problem or hazard.

TRANSPORTING FULL CANS: Good. Cans represent approximately 33% of the total product, if we compare them with other containers, for example glass bottles, cans are much lighter. As a result of their perfectly cylindrical shape, there is approximately 25% of wasted space between each can.

GROUP PACKAGING: Regular. The plastic or cardboard packaging used to group together four-packs or six-packs of a product is usually lost due to the problems associated with small packaging pieces and the scarce response from end users to recycle this material. In the case of cardboard, this could be recycled perfectly. In the case of plastics, this is less ecological, although these days plastics are being manufactured using biodegradable materials.

LEFT-OVER LIQUID: Regular. The characteristic shape of the can retains a small amount of liquid which means that approximately 1 - 5% of the total contents is not consumed.

BREAKAGE: Very good. Cans do not present a problem through breakage, neither when full nor when empty.

TRANSPORTING EMPTY CANS: Good. Like almost all containers, cans share the feature of having very low density, 30Kg/m2. As they can be flatted easily, their transport capacity can be multiplied by a factor of five, with a density of 150Kg/m2. Flattening the cans is advisable and required of the consumer.

RECYCLING AWARENESS: Regular - Bad. Through lack of awareness and the light weight of drinks cans, many consumers underestimate their value (in spite of the fact that this is the container with the highest recycled product value) and unfortunately these cans end up anywhere except in the selective recycling containers, unless specific recycling campaigns are run.

CLASSIFICATION PROCESS: Regular. In principle this depends on the collection system and on consumer awareness. It is not unusual to find all kinds of waste deposited in specific recycling containers for cans or packaging (which could reach up to 50% of the container's capacity). At present there are several waste treatment plants incorporating Foucault Separators, technology that enables mechanical separation of non-ferrous metals, which is the case with aluminium. This technology is widely used throughout Europe and at present is being introduced into Spain, where there are around eight separators of this type already in operation.

Unless committed and effective consumer collaboration is stepped up in the future, or a system is introduced where consumers pay a refundable deposit on cans (as is the case in some Scandinavian countries where 90% of aluminium cans are recovered) it will be impossible to increase and improve classification at source.

RECYCLING: Very good. The melting down process is simple and does not involve any difficulty. The differences in quality of the classified materials only affects the price and its application, not the final product. Aluminium is such a versatile raw material that used cans can be recycled and used to produce new products such as parts for cars, window blinds or new containers. In addition, it can be recycled many times over without affecting quality and there is an energy saving of 95% when aluminium products are manufactured using recycled materials instead of raw materials (bauxite minerals).