Every year millions of food, drink
and pet food cans are collected in Hampshire through a network of banks and kerbside
recycling schemes.
For the cans to be recycled, they
must be separated into two groups: aluminium and steel. The cans are all mixed up when we
collect them so they are taken to a Material
Recovery Facility (MRF) where a magnet helps remove the steel cans from the aluminium
ones.
Once the two types of metal are
separated they can be recycled into many different products.
In order to make new cans, the aluminium or steel is melted and rolled into a
sheet before being made into new cans, filled and sold.
Aluminium is usually recycled into
more cans which are filled and returned to the shops. Steel can be recycled into many
different things such as bicycles, paper clips, scissors or maybe more cans.
