Benefits of Recycling Aluminum Foil

Recycling aluminum foil provides the same benefits as the recycling of other aluminum scraps. Recycled aluminum reduces energy needs and pollution while increasing monetary gains. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), recycling aluminum has enormous environmental and economic gains when utilized. Thus aluminum foil can have a major impact on the environment and the economy through the simple act of placing it in a recycling receptacle instead of a trashcan.

Energy Saved

• Aluminum scrap--such as aluminum foil--recovery requires less energy than aluminum extraction from natural ores. According to the Environmental Literacy Council (ELC), aluminum scrap uses only 5 percent of the energy of aluminum production. This extreme energy conservation uses far fewer natural resources, which results in a marked increase in the conservation of these natural resources including gasoline for trucks transporting the aluminum ore and the fuel needed to extract aluminum from the ore.

Less Pollution

• Aluminum scrap recycling generates less pollution than aluminum ore extraction. The ODNR reports that aluminum recycling generates 95 percent less pollution than ore extraction does. Aluminum ore extraction produces several greenhouse gas emissions including the dangerous perfluorocarbons (PFCs). Aluminum ore extraction also is a cause of acid rain, states the ELC. Aluminum acids in the soil can lower soil pH, which then allows aluminum to contaminate water sources.

Economic Benefits

• Recycling aluminum foil and other aluminum scrap also yields many economic benefits, according to ODNR. Recycling one aluminum can is equal to the energy generated through the use of six ounces of gasoline or the energy required to run a television for three hours. Americans can throw away as much as a half million tons of aluminum in one year. That aluminum recycled is worth $800 million dollars. Economically, aluminum foil is well worth recycling.