Aluminium cans
Recycling scrap aluminium requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium. Also, the energy saved by recycling one aluminium can is enough to run a television for three hours.
Non-ferrous metals
Aluminium is one of the most efficient and widely recycled materials.[58][59] Aluminium is shredded and ground into small pieces or crushed into bales. These pieces or bales are melted in an aluminium smelter to produce molten aluminium. By this stage the recycled aluminium is indistinguishable from virgin aluminium and further processing is identical for both. This process does not produce any change in the metal, so aluminium can be recycled indefinitely.
Recycling aluminium saves 95% of the energy cost of processing new aluminium.[6] This is because the temperature necessary for melting recycled, nearly pure, aluminium is 600 °C, while to extract mined aluminium from its ore requires 900 °C. To reach this higher temperature, much more energy is needed, leading to the high environmental benefits of aluminium recycling. Americans throw away enough aluminium every year to rebuild their entire commercial air fleet. Also, the energy saved by recycling one aluminium can is enough to run a television for three hours.[12]
Source article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling
Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics. Although similar in effect, the composting or other reuse of biodegradable waste – such as food or garden waste – is not typically considered recycling.[2] Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned, and reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing.
How can you recycle aluminium?
Gold prices continue to rise. This is because economies are in recession, yet inflation continues.
LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Gold prices rose on Wednesday, continuing the previous session's consolidation after Monday's heavy losses, as price-sensitive physical buyers bought into the market at lower prices, and as assets seen as higher risk retreated.
Spot gold was up 0.6 percent at $1,658.60 an ounce at 0913 GMT. It has steadied in a broad $40 trading range since early Tuesday after sliding to a near three-month low on the previous day.
Monday's dramatic $120 price drop has washed out some less
committed investors from the market, analysts said, while its
resilience at lower levels has fuelled some tentative confidence
that higher prices can be sustained.
What does this mean?
It is unlikely that the price of Aluminium will fall much, therefore it makes sense to collect it and store it while the price rises.
Currently scrap aluminium is worth £2 per kilogram. In New Zealand the price of new aluminium is about $14 per kilogram or more. Recycled aluminium will never be worth as freshly smelted pure aluminium, but there is a big gap between what the recyclers pay, and what it is worth. A price of $5 per kilogram or more is not unrealistic.
What should you do?
You and your classmates at school should collect as much as possible. Make a competition out of it, with your class competing against the other classes in your school, and all the members of your class competing to see who can collect the most in a week.
Watch this page for updates.
This web site will be offering prizes to those who collect the most, so start saving. Find somewhere to store your drink cans. Squash them flat and pack then into bags of at least 5-10 kilograms. If you have problems, contact us.
28th September 2011