The diagram demonstrates the repossessing procedure of aluminium drinks cans. Overall, this man-made cyclical process consists of eleven stages, commencing with the collection of the used cans and ending with the manufacture of new cans. The entire process takes approximately six weeks to complete.
Initially, the used cans are collected by the lorries and delivered to a recycling facility. Subsequently, workers deposit those cans and they are then washed with water to remove the surface impurities. In the step that follows, the used cans are masticated in a specialized machine into tiny pieces in order to make the subsequent processing more efficient.
Concerning the remaining stages, the material undergoes an industrial process before being treated with chemicals to remove paint and oxidized stains. In the next phase, it is melted in the furnaces until it reaches a liquid state. After that, the molten aluminium is poured into molds to form solid blocks, which are then cooled and hardened.
Eventually, the solid aluminium is weighed and rolled into thin sheets by a rolling machine. In the final stage, the final products are created during a period of six weeks into reusable cans, completing the recycling loop.