Steel is one of the world's most recycled products. In fact, steel is 100% recyclable, which means its lifecycle is potentially continuous.

Despite steel scrap being an essential component in the production of new steel, consumers do not send enough back to be recycled.

Every year each Australian produces, on average, about one tonne of rubbish. Steel cans account for approximately 2.5% of the waste going to landfill, and only biodegrade over time by rusting.

What are other benefits of steel recycling?

Not only does steel can recycling reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfill, recycling steel also saves valuable energy and natural resources. Making steel from recycled cans uses 75% less energy than when producing steel from raw materials.

So for every tonne of steel recycled, 1131 kg of iron ore, 633 kg of coal and 54 kg of limestone are saved. That's a lot of precious resources that will hopefully still be there for generations to come.

Buying recycled

Is it enough to be filling up your recycling bin each week? It's a great start, but don't forget recycling is about closing the loop. This means using products that are made of materials that have been recycled.

So next time you're in the supermarket don't forget to look for products packaged in recycled materials or for packaging that you can recycle yourself - like steel cans! Since all new steel cans contain recycled steel, when you buy products in steel cans you're helping to close the recycling loop.

Also, start taking a closer look at the labels on your steel can packaging - you might just find the new Recyclable Steel Logo displayed on your cans of corn kernels, aerosols and paint cans!

What happens to the cans I recycle?

Steel cans are 100% recyclable - here's what happens to them:

• Steel cans are collected from households through kerbside collections or drop off services.
• Trucks carry the steel to a Materials Recovery Facility ('MRF') or similar operations.
• The cans are sorted magnetically or by hand and are baled for ease of transport (as shown in the picture).
• The cans are taken to the nearest steelworks.
• The cans are melted down and are then turned into everyday steel products such as cars, fridges, bicycles and new steel cans.

For further information on the steel can recycling process take a look at the Steel Can Story.