Bauxite Ore is Refined into alumina (aluminum oxide), one of the primary feedstocks for aluminum metal. Scrap aluminum provides 30 percent of America's aluminum supply. Recycled aluminum cans supply more than one fifth of the scrap used as a raw material.

Twenty percent of the aluminum used in America goes into packaging. This is the second largest use for aluminum, trailing transportation products, which use 34 percent. Aluminum is the third most-used material in automobiles.

Aluminum packaging is produced in both rigid and foil forms. Rigid aluminum containers are used for beverage and food packaging. Aluminum cans account for the entire beverage can market, but only a small percentage of the food can market. Cans comprise 78 percent of aluminum packaging by weight.

Foil packaging includes wrappers for products like cigarettes and candy, and semi-rigid containers, such as pie plates and frozen food trays.

Aluminum packaging has never had more than 1 percent market share of generated municipal solid waste (MSW).

Chaz Miller is state programs director for the National Solid Wastes Management Association, Washington. E-mail him at: cmiller@envasns.org.

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Sources:

Aluminum Association, www.aluminum.org

“Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006,” Office of Solid Waste, www.epa.gov/osw

“Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 1998,” Office of Solid Waste, www.epa.gov/osw

“Measurement Standards and Reporting Guidelines,” National Recyling Coalition, Washington, www.nrc-recycle.org

“Scrap Specifications Circular 2007,” Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Washington, www.isri.org

*Data is from 2006 EPA estimates.

Aluminum Packaging MSW Facts:

Generated:

• Recycled:

  1.94 million tons, or 0.8% by weight.*

• 1.52 million tons of cans.*

• 420,000 tons of foil.*

• 12.96 pounds (lbs.) per person.*

• 10.20 lbs. of cans and 2.76 lbs. of foil per person.*

• 100.6 billion cans, or 336 per person.

• A can weighs 0.488 ounces.

• 34.17 cans in a pound.

• 690,000 tons, or 35.6%.*

• 650,000 tons of cans, or 45.1%.*

• 40,000 tons of foil, or 9.5%.*

• 53.8% can recycling rate in 2007 according to industry data.