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Released October 13, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies are boosting activity in the domestic market for secondary aluminum processing, which melts down and recycles aluminum products and by-products. Since roughly half of all aluminum used in the U.S. comes from other countries (overwhelmingly Canada), according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S.-based aluminum producers are under pressure to up their output. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $4.5 billion worth of active and proposed capital-spending projects across the U.S. aluminum-recycling sector.
In June, the Trump administration raised tariffs on imports of aluminum and steel from 25% to 50% to bolster domestic production of both metals--but the tariffs don't apply to scrap. As a result, U.S.-based aluminum producers are importing more scrap and "scouring the country for domestic reserves of crumpled beverage cans, spare car parts, and bent-up building beams," according to a recent article in Canary Media.
One of the largest aluminum-recycling projects started construction in 2022 and is set to wrap up next summer: Novelis Incorporated's (Atlanta, Georgia) $4.1 billion rolling mill in Bay Minette, Alabama. Earlier this year, the company said the project is on track for commissioning in the second half of 2026, when it will begin producing 600 kilotons (1.3 billion pounds) per year of low-carbon aluminum. Novelis also said about 70% of the facility's output will go toward the production of beverage-packaging sheet; in a sustainability report released in September, the company said it had recycled more than 84 billion used beverage cans in the 2024 fiscal year.
Novelis is a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group (Mumbai, India). Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project and Plant databases can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.
Another Alabama-based recycler expects to finish a major upgrade later this year: Wise Alloys Alabama Reclamation Operations, a subsidiary of Constellium SE (Paris, France), is at work on the $20 million addition of a melt-tilting furnace at its complex in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which recycles 20 billion cans per year. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.
In Alabama's neighbor to the west, Owl's Head Alloys (Bowling Green, Kentucky) started construction last August on a $29.25 million aluminum-recycling plant in West Point, Mississippi, which it expects will recycle as much as 300 million pounds per year of scrap upon its completion, slated for the spring of 2026. Owl's Head also is considering a proposed expansion, which, if approved, could begin construction following completion of the current phase. The site formally was owned by Blazon Tube, a welded steel-tubing company that shut down in 2013.
The West Point complex will supply recycled aluminum to Aluminum Dynamics (Columbus, Mississippi), a subsidiary of Steel Dynamics Incorporated (Fort Wayne, Indiana), which produces aluminum products for automotive, packaging and other sectors. The Mississippi Development Authority assisted Wise Alloys in building improvements, while the City of West Point and Clay County are providing local tax abatement assistance. Subscribers can learn more from detailed project reports on the current phase and proposed second phase, and a plant profile.
Aluminum Dross Also Having a Moment
In recent years, players in the aluminum sector have invested more heavily in the recycling of aluminum dross, a semisolid skim that forms on the surface of molten aluminum during the smelting or recycling process. An environmentally hazardous material, it is composed of aluminum oxide, metallic aluminum and other impurities, but recent research shows it can be recovered sustainably and repurposed into secondary steel, ceramics, building materials and other products.
Pure Aluminum (Saranac, Michigan) is in the final stages of constructing its $25 million aluminum dross recycling plant in Saranac, which it expects will produce 20 million pounds per month. Pure Aluminum also is proposing an expansion that could boost production to as much as 30 million pounds per month. Subscribers can learn more from detailed project reports on the current phase and proposed second phase, and a plant profile.
"There is a significant convergence in the market between primary and secondary aluminum producers and scrap processors," said Pure Aluminum owner Mark Clark, who also owns Franklin Metals Corporation (Lake Odessa, Michigan), in a September 2024 interview with Recycling Today. "Significant investments have been made over recent years to upgrade certain scrap units that were primarily export items in years past."
Aluminz Corporation (Mount Pleasant, Texas) is seeking permits for its proposed aluminum recycling and processing plant in Mount Pleasant, Texas, which it believes will be able to process up to 140,000 metric tons per year of dross, scrap and salt cake, the latter of which is a toxic waste from which valuable properties can be recovered. Aluminz also seeks to build a solar farm at the site to generate 7.5 megawatts (MW) for its operations. Subscribers can read detailed project reports on the proposed recycling plant and solar farm, and a plant profile.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for active and proposed capital-spending projects across the U.S. aluminum-recycling sector.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
In June, the Trump administration raised tariffs on imports of aluminum and steel from 25% to 50% to bolster domestic production of both metals--but the tariffs don't apply to scrap. As a result, U.S.-based aluminum producers are importing more scrap and "scouring the country for domestic reserves of crumpled beverage cans, spare car parts, and bent-up building beams," according to a recent article in Canary Media.
One of the largest aluminum-recycling projects started construction in 2022 and is set to wrap up next summer: Novelis Incorporated's (Atlanta, Georgia) $4.1 billion rolling mill in Bay Minette, Alabama. Earlier this year, the company said the project is on track for commissioning in the second half of 2026, when it will begin producing 600 kilotons (1.3 billion pounds) per year of low-carbon aluminum. Novelis also said about 70% of the facility's output will go toward the production of beverage-packaging sheet; in a sustainability report released in September, the company said it had recycled more than 84 billion used beverage cans in the 2024 fiscal year.
Novelis is a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group (Mumbai, India). Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project and Plant databases can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.
Another Alabama-based recycler expects to finish a major upgrade later this year: Wise Alloys Alabama Reclamation Operations, a subsidiary of Constellium SE (Paris, France), is at work on the $20 million addition of a melt-tilting furnace at its complex in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which recycles 20 billion cans per year. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.
In Alabama's neighbor to the west, Owl's Head Alloys (Bowling Green, Kentucky) started construction last August on a $29.25 million aluminum-recycling plant in West Point, Mississippi, which it expects will recycle as much as 300 million pounds per year of scrap upon its completion, slated for the spring of 2026. Owl's Head also is considering a proposed expansion, which, if approved, could begin construction following completion of the current phase. The site formally was owned by Blazon Tube, a welded steel-tubing company that shut down in 2013.
The West Point complex will supply recycled aluminum to Aluminum Dynamics (Columbus, Mississippi), a subsidiary of Steel Dynamics Incorporated (Fort Wayne, Indiana), which produces aluminum products for automotive, packaging and other sectors. The Mississippi Development Authority assisted Wise Alloys in building improvements, while the City of West Point and Clay County are providing local tax abatement assistance. Subscribers can learn more from detailed project reports on the current phase and proposed second phase, and a plant profile.
Aluminum Dross Also Having a Moment
In recent years, players in the aluminum sector have invested more heavily in the recycling of aluminum dross, a semisolid skim that forms on the surface of molten aluminum during the smelting or recycling process. An environmentally hazardous material, it is composed of aluminum oxide, metallic aluminum and other impurities, but recent research shows it can be recovered sustainably and repurposed into secondary steel, ceramics, building materials and other products.
Pure Aluminum (Saranac, Michigan) is in the final stages of constructing its $25 million aluminum dross recycling plant in Saranac, which it expects will produce 20 million pounds per month. Pure Aluminum also is proposing an expansion that could boost production to as much as 30 million pounds per month. Subscribers can learn more from detailed project reports on the current phase and proposed second phase, and a plant profile.
"There is a significant convergence in the market between primary and secondary aluminum producers and scrap processors," said Pure Aluminum owner Mark Clark, who also owns Franklin Metals Corporation (Lake Odessa, Michigan), in a September 2024 interview with Recycling Today. "Significant investments have been made over recent years to upgrade certain scrap units that were primarily export items in years past."
Aluminz Corporation (Mount Pleasant, Texas) is seeking permits for its proposed aluminum recycling and processing plant in Mount Pleasant, Texas, which it believes will be able to process up to 140,000 metric tons per year of dross, scrap and salt cake, the latter of which is a toxic waste from which valuable properties can be recovered. Aluminz also seeks to build a solar farm at the site to generate 7.5 megawatts (MW) for its operations. Subscribers can read detailed project reports on the proposed recycling plant and solar farm, and a plant profile.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for active and proposed capital-spending projects across the U.S. aluminum-recycling sector.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
