Aluminum UBC Used Beverage Cans
Description
Used beverage cans are recycled into aluminum products.
Aluminum Used Beverage Cans (UBCs) are a highly valuable and widely recycled form of scrap metal, primarily consisting of high-purity aluminium. They are typically processed into bales and traded globally for recycling into new products.
Key Characteristics and Specifications
UBC scrap must meet specific industry standards to ensure high-quality recycling, primarily the ISRI code TALDON for baled UBC scrap.
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- Material Composition: Primarily composed of aluminum (typically minimum 99% aluminum content), with minimal impurities.
- Contamination: Must be free of steel, lead, glass, plastic, organic materials, and excessive moisture to prevent rejection. A magnet test can distinguish aluminium from steel cans, as steel is magnetic and aluminium is not.
- Form: Typically traded in baled or briquetted form to save storage and transportation space. Loose cans are generally not accepted by large processors.
- Density: Bales have specified density requirements; for example, a minimum of 14 pounds per cubic foot (225 kg/m³) for unflattened UBC and 22 pounds per cubic foot (353 kg/m³) for flattened UBC.
- Packaging: Bales should be secured with four to six steel bands or equivalent strength aluminum wires.
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Recycling and Market Information
Aluminum UBC recycling is a very efficient process that conserves significant energy compared to producing new aluminum from raw materials.
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- High Value: Aluminum UBC is one of the most valuable packaging items in the waste stream, with its intrinsic value being a major driver for high recycling rates globally.
- Pricing: Prices vary based on factors like cleanliness, transport costs, and current market conditions (like the LME Aluminium UBC Scrap US (Argus) index). In South Africa, collectors can receive over R5.00/kg for cans delivered to buy-back centers, with higher prices (around R26.00/kg ex VAT as per a May 2025 post on Facebook) for baled material delivered to processors like Hulamin.
