Introduction
Beverage cans are made out of aluminium ,a hazardous compound to the environment if left unattended to. Recycling means re-using them in different products after they have been emptied. The process involves collecting them from dustbins and waste dumps, remelting and remoulding them to other packaging materials or using them for other purposes. The process of remelting the cans is much less expensive and less damaging to the environment than making new ones. “Creating new containers and making new aluminium involves electrolysis of aluminium oxide, which has to be first mined from bauxite ore” (Schlesinger, 2007). Aluminium production process consumes a a lot of energy and has major negative effects on the environment. It is estimated that the process of making new aluminium uses 95% more energy than it takes to recycle. It is also estimated that it has a far much bigger green emissions percentage than the recycling process.
Aluminium recycling started back in the 1900s and was extensively used during World War II since many resources were scarce at the time. The process was for a long time done on a very low scale level until the 1960s when using beverage cans became a common trend. As a result, used cans were becoming a challenge for environmentalists and the amount of energy used to produce them was worrying. The concept of recycling started attracting attention and many businesses were more willing to invest in the process. “Recycled aluminium is used in making aircraft, automobiles and boats bodies among many other products that require light weigh material or material with high thermal conductivity” (Chiras, 2010). Since the recycling process does not have any effects on aluminium’s structure, this means that it can be recycled as many times as possible. It also means that there is sustainability as opposed to making them from bauxite, which may run out at some point.
Effects of aluminium cans
Recycling the cans is important for conserving the environment and saving energy. It is important that for the sake of the environment, we conserve our resources as much as possible. Mining is one of the biggest polluters of the environments and is among the biggest emitter of green house gases. One of the negative impacts of aluminium is on soil properties. Burring materials which do not easily decompose has detrimental effect on land. It affects fertility, causes erosion and affects the soil’s PH.
When soil properties are disrupted, micro-organisms which live in it are affected or die, which in turn disrupts the ecosystem. The soil may not be able to produce as much and will erode easily. Burying the cans also consumes a lot of space in landfills. It is estimated that the UK and the United States have only ten and fifteen years worth of landfill respectively (Pichtel, 2005). Adding on more aluminium materials only makes the situation worse. Mining Bauxite for making aluminium oxide disrupts land and has negative effects on micro-organisms living in the extraction sites.
Making aluminium from bauxite affects the environment. Mining disrupts rain forests and denies many species a habitat. A good example is the Jamaica’s delicate coral reefs, which have now been fully destroyed by spillovers as alumina was being transported from the mining sites. Bauxite miners’ health has been a subject of debate for a long time now. Raw bauxite has negative health effects on those working in the mines as well as those in the neighboring communities. If it spills over to drinking water, it can cause several respiratory and heart diseases. “Some parts of Jamaica have been adversely affected after bauxite leached to their groundwater supply, resulting in increased cases of hypertension amongst those leaving near the mining sites” (Green, 2007).
Aluminium production consumes very high amounts of energy. Manufacturing new aluminium consumes 95% more energy than recycling. it For countries which are already suffering energy shortages, recycling would definitely be a much better option than making new aluminium. It is estimated that one recycled can can help save up enough energy to run five televisions for three hours (Green, 2007). Making new aluminium is a messy and exhausting process, since it involves mining and separation of different compounds.
Making new aluminium is costly and may result in highly priced cans. It involves many processes such as mining, heating and electrolysis, all which are costly and require high levels of expertise. Sustainability in such conditions may not be possible because after some time, bauxite may be in shortage. Since the process requires more energy than it is when recycling, energy costs make it even more expensive.
Advantages of recycling
Many countries today are in the process of ensuring that much of their aluminium is recycled. The United Kingdom for example, recycles 42% of its cans, the United States recycles around 35%, while Finland and Switzerland are on top of the list by recycling up to 90% of their cans (Chiras, 2010). Several companies and organizations have made this possible by buying the cans as scrap metals from consumers.
Some organizations are encouraging consumers and businesses to recycle by offering money and other benefits for a certain amount of cans recycled. For example in Malawi, Alupro, a non-governmental environmental organization, offers to plant a specific number of fruits trees for every tonne of cans the country recycles. In some shops, consumers pay an extra amount for their drink, which they are refunded upon returning the can. The amount may not be much but it does help to pass the message across. In Michigan for example, consumers have to part with ten cents for every canned product and they get refunds after returning them.
The biggest benefit arising from the initiative is creating a sustainable environment and reducing the negative effects aluminum manufacture has on it. Mining aluminium has very detrimental effects on the environment. Since mining doesn’t occur naturally, the extraction process from bauxite involves a lot of digging and emissions. Bauxite has to be mined and smelted, a process which is very energy consuming. Many extractors take time to rebuild the land but most of the damage may not be reversible.
Recycling aluminiun will reduce the amount of land disruptions caused by mining. After extracting bauxite, the land is left infertile and unable to accommodate most of the micro-organisms that lived there initially. The process of preparing land for mining may involve relocating people and animals, some of which may not survive in new habitats. Recycling the cans will reduce the need for mining, thus minimizing the effects.
Recycling cans will help preserve more water bodies as well as their purity. During mining, water bodies are polluted and sometimes a stream’s movement is disrupted and distracted. In cases like that of Jamaica, leaching can cause water poisoning, which creates health complications. Recycling easily minimizes such incidents and saves a nation the costs involved in rectifying them. Some of the damages may be permanent and could haunt a country for along time even after the mining process is complete.
Recycling is considered less messy than making new aluminium, which involves mining. Storage during recycling is much easier and takes less space since it involves little sorting and separation of compounds. Since bauxite is not available everywhere, shipping it from different countries is a dirty and environmentally threatening process. Spillage along the road and in water causes pollution and could be poisonous if the spillovers are in large quantities.
Recycling requires less raw materials than making new aluminium. Making new aluminium requires bauxite and introduction of other ions in the electrolysis process. Recycling on the other hand only requires remelting and remoulding the cans. Gases emitted from bauxite are avoided and the cost is reduced since there are no new materials required.
Recycling is an easier and shorter process than making new aluminium. It is estimated that cans take only five days in the recycling process before they are back on the shelves. The process of making new cans may take up to weeks and sometimes longer, depending with the availability of bauxite and its accessibility. Recycling cans at home is an equally easy process. For people who use them as storage cans at home, all it takes is cleaning. In the informal sectors, they are simply cut and reshaped to the desired objects. When the new objects are old and used up, they can then be recycled to make new cans.
Recycling cans is a less hazardous process than making new aluminium. The case of Jamaica has been used many times as a reference point to show how risky bauxite is to human health. Leaching can easily cause water contamination, which then causes heart and respiratory complications to those who drink the water. If proper safety measures are not in place, inhaling bauxite for a long period of time can cause chronic respiratory problems. Recycling cans has no health hazards, as long as they are cleaned and disinfected accordingly. Most importantly, recycling consumes less energy and emits less carbon dioxide than making new aluminium. “The process consumes 5% of the energy used for making new aluminium, and it emits only 5% of the carbon dioxide emitted during creation of new raw materials” (Schlesinger, 2007).
Conclusion
“Recycling cans is today more popular with consumers than any other material currently being recycled” (Chiras, 2010). Millions of people consume different can beverages everyday and can soda is one of the favorites. Millions of cans are used and disposed everyday. For example, it is estimated that in the United Kingdom only, more than five billion drink cans are sold every year. Recycling therefore, appears to be the right measure for the sake of the environment.
Beverage cans are made out of aluminium and can be hazardous to the environment if left unattended to. Since aluminium does not easily decompose, the only option in the past was to bury them in landfills, which are now now taking up too much space in many countries. Recycling the cans means re-using them in different products after they have been emptied, re-melted and re-molded. They can be reconstructed to new containers and can be used in different applications which require light weight materials.
Recycling cans has proven much more advantageous as opposed to making new ones. It is less expensive and less involving since it eliminates the mining part of the process. It has less effects to the environment, emitting only 5% of the carbon dioxide emitted during the aluminium manufacturing process. The process consumes 5% percent of energy used in making new cans. As a result, energy costs are minimized and the cans cost less.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of recycling rather than making more aluminum is the benefits the option offers to the environment and health. When bauxite mining is avoided, less land is destroyed and the ecosystem is more protected. Human beings and animals relocation is minimized and water pollution is reduced. Less people are exposed to health risks arising from spillage and dust from mines.
Several organizations and shops have put in place measures to encourage recycling of cans. In some shops, customers leave a small amount of deposit for every can they purchase and get a refund once they return them. In other places, people can accumulate their cans and sell them per kilo or in numbers. Some non-governmental organizations offer incentives for countries and communities willing to encourage the habit of collecting and recycling cans. The effort seems to pay off and more countries are today recycling their cans rather than burying them in landfills.
Reference list
Chiras, D.D. (2010). Environmental science. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Green, J.A. (2007). Aluminium recycling and processing for energy conservation and sustainability. Materials Park, Ohio: ASM International.
Pichtel, J. (2005). Waste management practices: Municipal, hazardous and industrial. Boca Raton, FL: CRS Press.
Schlesinger, M. (2007). Aluminium recycling. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis Group.