STALLION In short: Some do, many do not. The International Aluminium Institute found that 71% of cans placed on the market are recycled, but only 33% are made back into new cans. The rest become other aluminium products, such as engine blocks.
The numbers
In September 2025 the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) published Can-to-Can Recycling: Performance, Potential and Pathways. As reported by Aluminium International Today, it found that 71% of aluminium cans placed on the market are recycled, and that 33% are made back into new cans. That 33% is about 140 billion cans.
The same report puts the equivalent figure at 7% for PET and 20% for glass, which is the sense in which cans lead. The comparison is about how much comes back as the same kind of container.
Why recycled cans end up elsewhere
More than 20% of recycled cans go into products such as engine blocks. The report blames incompatible alloys, which keep that metal out of the can cycle.
It also finds that 87% of recycled cans could return to cans today without changing alloys or remelter operations, yet only 47% do. By the report's own count, a 40-point gap could close with no change to alloys or furnaces.
What the report asks of collectors
Cans kept apart from other metals, rinsed and dry, are the simplest part of that list, and the part a household or a bar controls.
- High collection rates.
- Clean used beverage can (UBC) scrap.
- Alloys designed with recycling in mind.
- Policies that limit contamination and scrap leaking out of the system.
A can's second life can be quick
The Aditya Birla Group says Novelis, which it describes as the world's largest aluminium recycler, turns used cans into new cans within 60 days. The same page says aluminium can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality.
The IAI estimates that 74.5% of all the aluminium ever made, 1.2 billion of 1.6 billion tonnes produced between 1888 and 2021, is still in use.
What about India
We looked for a current figure for how many beverage cans are recycled in India and did not find a reliable one. The IAI numbers above are global.
Hindalco, India's large aluminium producer, says its downstream units have dedicated recycling and remelting facilities and take scrap from reverse supply contracts with customers, scrap collected from the market, and its own process scrap. It does not publish can-specific volumes.
Common questions
What percentage of aluminium cans are recycled?
Globally, 71% of cans placed on the market are recycled, according to the International Aluminium Institute's 2025 can-to-can report. We did not find a reliable India-specific figure.
Do aluminium cans become new cans?
Some do. About 33% of cans are made back into cans. Others become different aluminium products such as engine blocks.
Can aluminium be recycled forever?
Aluminium keeps its properties through recycling, so it can be recycled repeatedly. The IAI estimates that about three quarters of all aluminium ever produced is still in use.
Why does it matter that cans are clean?
The IAI report calls for clean UBC scrap. Contamination lowers what the metal can be made into.
Sources
Next steps
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