Recycling At Home - Metals

2005 saw 13 million tonnes of different metals being recycled in the UK. End-of-life vehicles provide the main source of material for the metals recycling industry, mostly from lorries, cars and buses.

Reasons To Recycle Metals -

Metals recycling has been going on for many years, and will continue to do so. Recycling aluminium produces only 5% of the carbon dioxide emissions and takes only 5% of the energy compared to new aluminium production.  One recycled aluminium can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours!

What Metals Can I Recycle?
Aluminium cans
Aluminium containers from the supermarket
Pans and old baking trays
Aerosol cans made from steel or aluminium
Steel cans - these are also called "tins" as they contain a very thin layer of tin.
Brass, silver, gold and copper
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)

How Do I Recycle Metals?
In most areas Local Authorities will collect cans for recycling via their kerbside collection method.  Some Local Authorities have mixed can bring banks which take both aluminium and steel cans; some have two systems as aluminium only cans are worth more for recycling.  As a guide aluminium cans do not stick to a magnet, they have a very shiny silver base and are lightweight; it's fairly safe to say that all others are steel cans.  Community organisations often collect aluminium cans for cash, as a means of raising funds for charity and other good causes; it's worth remembering to crush cans before recycling so that they take up less space in the system.

Some council collection schemes accept kitchen foil, milk bottle foil tops, and freezing and cooking trays for recycling. Aluminium foil is made from different alloys to aluminium cans and it has to be collected separately. Most recycled foil goes to cast components for the motor industry, including engine blocks and cylinder heads. Aerosol cans made from steel or aluminium can be recycled in Save-a-can banks (check the front of the banks for guidance), but they must be empty and should not be crushed.

Pans can be recycled through charity shops or a recycling centre. Alternatively you can use a local scrap metal merchant, details of which you can find in your local Yellow Pages to locate your nearest merchant.

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) - Most discarded household appliances are already being recycled by the industry. There are also many companies who now specialise in recycling these products, and collection can sometimes be arranged. (For more information on this area of recycling please see our Electrical and Electronics section)

Other metals such as brass, silver, gold and copper tend not to go to landfill as they hold a value which makes them worthwhile collecting for recycling. If you do have any of these metals for recycling it is best to contact your local metals merchant.