Facts About Aluminum Foil Reuse and Recycling

Posted on Feb 24, 2012 in Sustainable Living & Sustainable Lifestyle by Matthew Speer 15 Comments

Over 75% of all aluminum foil produced in the United States is used for food packaging and much of that ends up the local landfills. This is an unfortunate result of habits formed by a wasteful society and it is up to each of us to change that behavior. Environmentalists have criticized the use of aluminum foil due to the high resource costs associated to the production of the product. There are some simple and cost effective tips you can use to stretch your dollar and aluminum foil farther.

Aluminum Foil Recycling Can Be a Pain

Many recycling centers and public recycling programs don’t accept aluminum foil, leaving many scratching their heads as to why. If you can recycle an aluminum can you should be able to recycle foil as well, right? The fact is, aluminum foil is 100% recyclable though the catch is that it is often much dirtier than cans. With the sheets of foil often being filled with food waste that can lead to contamination, many recycling center simply won’t accept it. While American households recycle up to 70% of their household aluminum waste, most of that is from cans, leaving thousands of tons of foil sheets for the landfill. According to reports, we throw away enough foil each year to build a fleet of aircraft and recycling a single aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.

Reuse That Aluminum Foil to Reduce Waste

One of the easiest ways to save energy and money is to reuse that old aluminum foil. Instead of balling it up and tossing in the trash, lay it flat and wash it with soap and water. Don’t forget that aluminum foil is also dishwasher safe, so just place it on the top shelf when running a load and you will be left with clean reusable foil sheets. You can reuse foil sheets time and again, saving you money from having to purchase new supplies.

A sustainable lifestyle can be a snap with some very simple changes in your lifestyle. It is not rocket science, reusing products reduces waste of all kinds, so think before you throw that aluminum away.