What We Buy: Aluminum

Aluminum—the stuff your soda can is made of—is a pretty amazing metal. It comprises about
eight percent of Earth’s land mass and is one of the most commonly used nonferrous (not iron-
based) metals around.
Aluminum is one of the easiest products to recycle, since it can be melted down and fashioned
into new products infinitely. At Gardner Metals, we love getting aluminum donations, and we pay
for the privilege of taking recyclables off your hands. Here’s what you need to know before you
bring in your aluminum for recycling.
Why Recycle Aluminum?
If you’re considering recycling aluminum found around your home or your place of business,
you’re making a great choice for the environment. Unlike other materials, aluminum can be
melted down and reused indefinitely without losing strength or fidelity, making it an ideal
candidate for recycling.
What’s more, aluminum recycling is much greener than refining new metal. Aluminum is almost
never found by itself as pure ore; instead, it’s deposited in a mineral-laden rock called bauxite.
The process of extracting pure aluminum from bauxite is very labor- and resource-intensive. We
won’t bore you with the ins and outs of the whole refinement process, but basically, it involves
melting the bauxite at extremely high temperatures (around 1,000 degrees Celsius) and placing it
in a caustic chemical bath of sodium hydroxide.
As you might imagine, it takes a lot of energy to maintain temperatures that high. In fact,
recycling aluminum takes just 5 percent of the energy used to refine raw aluminum. And unlike
aluminum smelting, the aluminum recycling process doesn’t emit perfluorocarbons, an extremely
harmful greenhouse gas.
Basically, it’s better for everyone if you bring used aluminum products in for recycling. And if you
bring them to Gardner Metals, we’ll pay you for making the effort. What could be better than that?
Where to Find Aluminum Scrap
As the main ingredient in cans, foil wrapping, bike frames, metal siding, screen doors, car rims
and thousands of other products we use every day, it’s safe to say aluminum is all around us.
Here are some of the most common places you’ll find aluminum around your home or work.

 Automobile Parts. Parts like car rims have always been made out of metal, but as the
demand for fuel-efficient autos has grown, car makers are increasingly replacing heavier steel
components with lighter aluminum parts. Look for aluminum in your old car’s engine radiators,
wheels, bumpers, suspension parts, engine cylinder blocks, transmission, hood, doors and
possibly even the frame.

 Bicycles. All sorts of vehicles are built from aluminum, including bicycles. Many bike
frames are made out of aluminum, although some may be titanium—another recyclable metal.

 Aluminum Cans. Aluminum recycling centers can melt old cans down and have them
back on store shelves in just 60 days, making aluminum can recycling one of the most efficient
reuse processes around. Bring your aluminum can donations directly to our South Austin
facility or arrange a bulk pickup with us to handle larger loads.

 Aluminum Foil. Known by the misnomer tin foil, kitchen foil is actually made out of
aluminum. Most curbside recycling programs accept aluminum foil, although you can bring larger
amounts to a recycling facility as well.
 Household Appliances. Large household appliances like your refrigerator, washer and
dryer, and dishwasher often contain parts made from aluminum. Smaller appliances like slow
cookers and stand mixers are sometimes made of aluminum, too. All of these items are accepted
at metal recycling centers—just search “aluminum recycling near me.” Most centers will even
help you haul larger appliances.

 Cookware. Pots and pans, flatware, silverware and other utensils are often made out of
aluminum and can all be recycled at Gardner Metals.

 Window Frames, Siding, and Other Construction Elements. Aluminum even helps us

build our homes. Common aluminum items in construction include window frames, siding, screen
doors, facades, sinks, faucets and structural frames. You can bring them all to our facility for
aluminum recycling. We even offer demolition and removal services for large construction
projects.

 Computer Parts. There’s plenty of aluminum hiding in your laptop and PC. From the
processor to the heat sink to the hard drive, aluminum makes up a vital part of a computer’s
assembly. Computers also contain valuable gold, copper, silver and platinum, making them a
great candidate for recycling. Gardner Metals will happily accept your used electronics and pay
you for the metal we can recoup from them.

 Sports and Outdoors Equipment. Golf clubs, baseball bats, tent frames, soccer goals,
basketball hoops—and even water bottles—are often made out of aluminum. Bring all your used
gear to our metal recycling facilities, and we’ll give you money to put toward new equipment.

Aluminum Recycling Rates

The rates for aluminum change daily, so it would be impossible to list them here. While aluminum
is not one of the most valuable metals we buy, we think you’ll find the money you earn—with the
added bonus of a cleaner home and/or worksite—is well worth the effort it takes to donate
recyclables. We always offer competitive rates on every metal we buy.
If you want to make your donations even more valuable, you can do so by cleaning and sorting
materials before you bring them into our facilities. We’ll usually add a little extra to your rate as a
thank you for doing some of our work for us.
How Gardner Metals Can Help You Recycle Aluminum
At Gardner Metal Recycling, we buy all types of aluminum, including cans, window and door
frames, sheet metal, and aluminum alloys. We even accept cars for recycling. Automotive
aluminum is very valuable and recyclable!
Not sure if we will accept your material? Just give us a call!
As Austin’s premier aluminum recycling center, we offer competitive pricing for your aluminum
scrap with easy and professional drop-off. And because we want to encourage aluminum
recycling for the good of our planet and economy, most aluminum material is considered for
purchase.