What is Can – to – Can Recycling?
From One Can to Another: The Full Story of “Can-to-Can” Recycling
By Jaco Durandt
Have you ever crushed an empty soft drink can and tossed it aside, wondering what happens next? At Bilum Eco Solutions, that simple act is the beginning of a powerful journey—a journey that transforms used aluminium cans into brand-new ones, all while saving energy, reducing pollution, and creating jobs.
This is called the “Can-to-Can” recycling loop, and it’s one of the most efficient recycling processes in the world.
♻️ Step 1: Collection — It Starts With You
The first step in the can-to-can process begins with separation at source. Households, schools, and businesses are encouraged to keep their used aluminium cans clean and separate from food waste and general rubbish.
Bilum Eco Solutions has made this process easier by offering cash incentives for sorted aluminium cans, creating collection hubs and partnering with community collectors.
“When you keep cans clean and separate, you’re not just helping the environment—you’re also creating a material we can work with,” says Jaco Durandt, CEO of Bilum Eco Solutions.
🧺 Step 2: Sorting & Baling — Preparing for Transformation
Once the cans are collected, they are sorted, weighed, and compacted into high-density bales. These bales make transportation more efficient and reduce the carbon footprint.
Any contaminants like plastic, food residue, or mixed metals are removed to maintain purity—essential for the next steps in the recycling process.
Bilum Eco Solutions uses advanced baling machines to compress thousands of cans into manageable, export-ready blocks. These are either sold to local smelters (in the near future) or exported to international recycling partners.
🔥 Step 3: Smelting — Melting it Down
The baled aluminium is sent to a smelting facility, where the real magic happens.
- The cans are shredded into small pieces, making it easier to melt.
- They are then decontaminated to remove inks, coatings, and leftover residues.
- The shredded pieces are melted in a furnace at approximately 660°C, turning them into pure molten aluminium.
One of the most impressive facts about aluminium recycling is that it uses 95% less energy than producing new aluminium from raw bauxite. That’s a massive saving for the planet.
🧱 Step 4: Casting — Turning Molten Metal Into Ingots
The molten aluminium is poured into moulds to form ingots or billets—large blocks that are cooled, hardened, and then transported to manufacturing plants.
These ingots are the raw material for new products, including—you guessed it—new aluminium cans.
“Each recycled can could be back on the shelf as a brand-new can in as little as 60 days,” says Durandt. “That’s the beauty of the circular economy.”
🧃 Step 5: Manufacturing — Back on the Shelf
Manufacturers roll the aluminium into thin sheets and form new cans, ready to be filled with drinks, sealed, and sent to stores across the world.
And just like that, the can you crushed a few weeks ago is back—brand new, and ready to start the cycle again.
🌏 Why Can-to-Can Recycling Matters
- ✅ Saves energy: Up to 95% less energy than making new aluminium.
- ✅ Reduces landfill waste: Cans are infinitely recyclable and don’t lose quality.
- ✅ Cuts carbon emissions: Less mining, less processing, and less pollution.
- ✅ Supports local jobs & communities: Through collection networks and recycling plants.
- ✅ Keeps PNG beautiful: Less litter, cleaner oceans, and healthier communities.
💚 How You Can Help
- ♻️ Separate your cans from other rubbish.
- 🧽 Rinse and flatten them if possible.
- 💰 Bring them to a Bilum Eco Solutions collection point and get paid!
Together, we can create a closed-loop recycling system that keeps value in Papua New Guinea and waste out of the environment.
Bilum Eco Solutions – Turning Waste into Opportunity, One Can at a Time.
To find your nearest collection point or become a community collector, visit:
📱 Facebook & LinkedIn: @BilumEcoSolutions
📧 Email: info@bilum-eco.com
