Smart Recycling: Under the advanced recycling plan, pneumatic scrap handling equipment will separate the four types of aluminum alloy.

Ford’s 2015 F-150 will use four blends of aluminum alloy that will be separated and returned to suppliers for recycling. Under the advanced recycling plan, pneumatic scrap handling equipment will separate the four types of aluminum alloy and place them in separate containers, which will be used to haul the scrap metal back to aluminum suppliers Alcoa and Novelis. The lighter material shaves as much as 700 pounds off the 5,000-pound truck, a revolutionary change for a vehicle known for its heft and an industry still heavily reliant on steel.

The change is Ford’s response to small-business owners’ desire for a more fuel-efficient and nimble truck. Aluminum was used on cars even before the first F-Series went on sale in 1948. It’s widely used on sporty, low-volume cars now, like the Tesla Model S electric sedan and the Land Rover Evoque. U.S. Postal Service trucks are also made of aluminum. In all, a four-door F-150 has 660 pounds of aluminum, or nearly double the average use of aluminum per vehicle used now, according to Drive Aluminum.