| GRN Recycle Talk FAQ Answer |
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 98 09:27 WET From: FRIEDMAN.FRED@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV (Fred Friedman) Subject: Re: Aluminum Recycling (Mike Southwell)
Feb 2/98
Dear Mike Southwell,
Your questions were:
1. Is recycled aluminum (AL) sold at the same price as virgin AL? No.
2. Can recycling be handled by a regular virgin AL smelter? Yes. However, secondary smelters are the most prominent market.
3. How much AL is represented in a ubc (Used beverage container)? I don't know, but let me say this. Alumminum containers are completely recyclable, minus the laquered outer casing containing commercial messages. They can be processed back into new containes with only approximately 5% of the energy inputs required to produce virgin AL and their manufactories are fare simpler and less expensive to create or maintain. Typical ubcs today contain at least 50% recycled content.
4. There's a lot of AL industry in the Pacific Northwest, e.g. Vanalco, Inc. in Vancouver, WA and Northwest AL Co. in The Dalles, OR. Kaiser has a primary ALunit in Pleasanton, CA and two smelters in Tacoma and Mead, WA.
Based on this, I would assume that the Canadian Pacific Northwest has some AL industry as well. As for South Africa, I can't say.
Contact the Aluminum Assn. at 202-862-5100 and the Alumin Recycling Assn. at 202-785-0951
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