It takes four pounds of bauxite ore, aluminum's main ingredient, to produce one pound of aluminum. Every pound of recycled aluminum saves four pounds of ore. Every aluminum beverage can has an average 54.7 percent recycled content. In 1996 about 3 million tons of aluminum were discarded. Discovered in the 1820s, aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth.
Packaging is the second largest use of aluminum, behind transportation products.
In 1974 it took 23 aluminum cans to make one pound. Today, aluminum beverage cans are lighter and 33 produce a pound. Based on 1996 U.S. EPA estimates, Americans generated 1,600,000 tons of aluminum cans and 360,000 tons of foil which translates into about 14.5 pounds of aluminum packaging and 2.7 pounds of foil per person. Every minute of every day, an average of 123,097 aluminum cans are recycled. It is estimated that since 1972 more than 14 million tons of aluminum cans have been recycled.