In This Section Roll-off in parking lot of Denny Sanford Premier Center

Aluminum Recycling: Important Key to Sioux Falls Recycling

Tossing your empty soda can into the trash after lunch may not seem like an important part of the day to most people, but what if your soda can could directly help save the environment if you took the time to recycle it? While you may not think one aluminum can would have a great effect, what about all the cans of soda you consume yearly? 

An average American consumes 380 cans of soda yearly which totals to over 100 billion soda cans being used in the United States in a year’s time. This contributes to the overall 1.5 million tons of waste that is in the world due to aluminum cans simply thrown into the trash. The numbers are staggering and the space to put the used cans is dwindling. The need for aluminum recycling is a growing demand that everyone can do easily to produce big changes for the Earth. Novak Sanitary Service is the premiere place for Sioux Falls recycling. To build strong foundations of Sioux Falls- recycling must start in homes and through the recognition that we only have one Earth.

The greatest feature for aluminum can recycling is that the amount of times aluminum can be recycled is endless. Aluminum is a 100% recyclable material and this allows for the turnaround rate for an aluminum can that is recycled to be 60 days before it is back on the shelf at your local grocery. Aluminum can recycling saves 95% of the energy that would be needed if using new aluminum products. Aluminum can recycling enables the aluminum can industry to produce 20 times more cans for the same amount of energy.

An increase in aluminum recycling would allow for a decrease in space being used in landfills, cut back on greenhouse gases emitted from aluminum smelting, reduce the risk of acid rain, and help keep water clean. Recycling alone can divert 1.7 billion pounds of waste from landfills on a yearly basis. In order to produce new aluminum products, the process of smelting occurs which fuels 14.1% of greenhouse gases emitted. Those greenhouse gases, like nitrogen oxide, contribute to acid rain and smog. Aluminum recycling creates 97% less water pollution than if using virgin materials. Aluminum recycling takes a big step in the right direction for the future of Earth.

Benefits from aluminum recycling or aluminum can recycling do not stop there. Aluminum recycling enables energy resources to be saved. Energy being saved from aluminum recycling starts from the minute you recycle one aluminum can. By recycling one aluminum can enough energy is saved to power a television for three hours. For each pound of aluminum can recycled, Americans save energy equal to 7.5 kilowatt-hours of electricity. In other words, that is enough energy saved per year to light the city of Pittsburgh for 6 years! Aluminum recycling of 1 ton allows for the equivalent of 2,350 gallons of gasoline to be saved. If all Americans participated in aluminum can recycling, they could save $3 billion worth of energy every year. The amount of energy to be saved with aluminum recycling is amazing. Just think what type of effect that Sioux Falls recycling could have.

By taking the seconds to throw aluminum cans into a recycle bin you are helping the environment in multiple ways and helping our country save energy resources. Aluminum can recycling is just one type of recycling that can create big differences. For more information on aluminum recycling or aluminum can recycling be sure to stop by our website for more tips and ideas on how you can make a difference and learn more about Sioux Falls recycling.


Last Modified:

Back