The aluminum used in today’s products is produced from the ore bauxite, which must be strip-mined? This process involves cutting open pits in landscapes, such as mountains and forests.
Strip mining for bauxite is a leading contributor to deforestation and pollution of freshwater reserves in countries like Jamaica, Haiti, Iceland, and Brazil.
Recycling scrap aluminum requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminum.
More than 30 percent of all aluminum in the United States comes from recycled scrap aluminum. Aluminum can recycling is the largest single source of scrap aluminum.