Environmental Advantages of Aluminum
What does Ottawa Deck and Rail
do with the leftover scrap
aluminum?
Aluminum railings are manufactured by simply
molding the aluminum to a specific shape,
otherwise known as aluminum extrusion.
Aluminum extrusion can be very easily
recycled. We bring all of our excess aluminum
to a local scrap yard, where it can be
processed. This ensures that the aluminum is
not being dumped in a landfill, not to mention
aluminum extrusion is quite valuable!
Is the coating on the railings bad
for the environment?
No. Powder-coating has many benefits
including strength, longevity and low
environmental impact. Unlike paint, powder
coating is non- toxic and does not release
VOC’s into the atmosphere. The process itself
produces very minimal waste and can be
recycled.
How does the aluminum recycling
process work?
Once collected, the aluminum scrap is sorted
to remove any impurities. It is then melted
down to be cast in to aluminum extrusion.
Scrap aluminum can be obtained directly from
a process, such as excess pieces of sheet
metal, or as old scrap metal used by a
consumer.
Aluminum recycling is much more efficient
than creating new aluminum. The creation of
new aluminum is a complex and large-scale
process that uses large amounts of energy and
mining resources.
I have an old iron railing, can it be
recycled?
Yes, iron railings can be recycled. Iron is
commonly melted and re-used in the
construction industry. It can be isolated from
other metals, as it is magnetic.
