Aluminium Cans

In Australia, over two billion aluminium cans are recycled every year. Roughly ten percent of Australia’s electricity goes into making brand new aluminium – using recycled cans to make new aluminium saves a huge amount of energy. In fact, for every aluminium can you recycle, you save enough energy to power a television set for three hours!

About Aluminium

Aluminium is made from an ore called Bauxite, which is mined from the earth. Bauxite is converted into alumina, a fine white powder. This powder is then smelted at over 700°C, to become aluminium. The process is expensive and uses lots of resources including energy and fuel.

Aluminium Cans Disposal

Will SUEZ accept my aluminium cans?

SUEZ has a number of locations that accept aluminium cans for recycling. Please contact Customer Service on 13 13 35 for site locations.

Recycling Alternatives

What else can I do with my aluminium cans?

For small quantities, simply place them in the appropriate recycling bin provided by your local council for kerbside collection.
Container deposit refunds are provided in South Australia, New South Wales and Northern Territory. See the EPA South Australia website , EPA New South Wales website or EPA Northern Territory website for more information.

Sorting Aluminium Cans Waste

Make sure your aluminium cans are empty. Cans which only contained thin liquids like soft drinks or juices don’t need to be rinsed – if you shake them out until there are no more drips, that’s clean enough.
Don't put aluminium cans inside anything else, like boxes, bags or other containers. Make sure everything inside your recycling bin is loose, and not tied or attached to anything else – even other things made of the same material.
If your container recycling is separated from your paper/cardboard recycling make sure the aluminium cans go in with the containers.
Some other aluminium items can be taken to some SUEZ facilities for recycling – please contact Customer Service on 13 13 35 to check first.

Contact your local council for details on local collections and facilities.

Further information on aluminium cans

There's no point in recycling if we don't buy back the products made from recycled materials. As consumers we can have a great influence on the kinds of products made available to us, by changing our shopping habits and choosing more environmentally-friendly products.

The next time you go shopping, whether it's for home or school or play, remember that aluminium cans do have recycled content, and are being recycled every day. So you're doing more for the environment by putting your aluminium cans in the recycling bin, and by purchasing products in aluminium cans.

Look for other products which are either made from recycled material or can be recycled, and if in doubt, don't be afraid to check with the manufacturers.

Find out more about SUEZ Scrap Metal Recycling here.

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