What Really Happens to an Aluminum Can After You Recycle It?

YouTube creator JerryRigEverything visited Constellium's recycling facility in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to find out. In his signature curious, hands-on style, he follows the journey of a used beverage can as it's shredded, melted and transformed into new aluminum coils—ready to become cans again.

But the story isn't just about how cans are recycled—it's also about how many never make it back into the recycling stream. Americans consume roughly 100 billion aluminum cans each year, yet only 43% are recycled.

That's a tremendous opportunity. Every recycled can becomes a new product, saving energy and keeping valuable aluminum in circulation. Because aluminum can be recycled again and again without losing its properties, each can returned to the recycling stream helps extend the life of this valuable material.

From mountains of used cans to massive aluminum coils ready for their next life, the video offers a fascinating look at how aluminum recycling works—and why it matters.

Watch the full video below and see how up to 25 billion beverage cans recycled each year at Muscle Shoals get a new life.