Aluminum Can Prices Tank, Causing Scrap Yard Pileups

Due to an increase in recycling costs, aluminum cans have been piling up in scrap yards across the country.

According to a report in The Daily Caller, the price for aluminum cans dropped 30 percent since the summer of 2018. The report also notes that the slowdown in recycling aluminum cans comes amid a downturn in the recycling market due to China’s import regulations and tariffs.  

The Daily Caller has more details:

Used aluminum cans are piling up in scrap yards as the market for aluminum recyclables shrinks in size and profitability, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The price for used aluminum cans tanked 30 percent since the summer of 2018. Aluminum rollers are cutting recycled aluminum from cans out of their business models to prioritize more profitable areas of business. (RELATED: Study: Plastic Packaging Bans Hurt The Environment More Than They Help)

Old aluminum cans are limited in what aluminum products they can be used in. Car and airplane manufacturers tend to stay away from using aluminum made from recycled cans. Aluminum producers are turning away from the used can market despite facing social pressure to embrace recycling, WSJ reports.

Read the full article here.