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Aluminium has only been used for about a century, but it is quite a common metal today. One of the most popular uses for aluminium is for
making drinks cans. Aluminium cans are a great way to store drinks because they are lightweight, unbreakable, and quick to chill.
Although it is a very useful metal, aluminium is difficult to make, and uses a
lot of resources. This is why we must recycle aluminium as much as we can. Recycling aluminium drinks cans saves up to 95% of the energy used
to produce new cans. It also saves natural resources – such as bauxite, which is used to make aluminium ore.
With today's technology, aluminium can be melted down and recycled into new objects time and time again without losing its quality.
Aluminium is also a very valuable metal – which is why the people who run Cash for Can centres will pay you for all your old aluminium cans.
Collecting cans for recycling is a great way to make some pocket money, or raise funds for a charity.
Aluminium and steel cans look very similar to each other, but they should be sorted out before being put in can banks. Here's three easy ways to
identify aluminium cans from steel cans:
1. Look for this aluminium symbol on the side of the can:
2. Test the side of the can with a magnet – if it sticks it's steel; if not, it's aluminium.
3. Look at the bottom of the can – aluminium can bases are shiny, while steel can bases are dull.
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