The aluminium industry is evaluating the incorporation of post-consumer scrap in alloy formulation. However, currently available scrap sorting techniques do not prevent the incorporation of higher levels of certain impurities particularly iron. In the present study, a high-strength Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy was manufactured using 50% end-of life scrap was compared with the reference alloy made from prime aluminium. Direct-chill casting was used to produce billets which were homogenized and then extruded using a hollow die. The alloy microstructures were then characterized using optical and electron microscopy. Significant segregation was found in the scrap-containing alloy resulting in multiple phases such as Al15(Fe, Mn, Cr)3Si2 of primary and eutectic origin and the minor eutectic Al2CaSi2, Al3(Cu, Ni)2, Mg2Si, Q, Al2Cu phases. A small fraction of Pb droplets and conglomerates of TiB2 were also found associated with shrinkage porosity and secondary branches of the interconnected Fe-rich intermetallics (IMCs), which was shown by the examination of deeply-etched samples. After homogenization, Cu, Mg, and Si reprecipitated in the form of particle strings, Zn dissolved in (Al) matrix and Al3(Cu, Ni)2 decomposed. Ni was incorporated into Al15(Fe, Mn, Cr)3Si2 IMCs. Despite a significant reduction in interconnectivity of the Al15(Fe, Mn, Cr)3Si2 the scrap-containing alloy showed much larger strings of IMCs as compared to the reference alloy although the peripheral coarse grain depth and interior grain structure remained comparable. Despite the complexity of the phase composition, the hierarchical structure of extruded profile was maintained, which enabled the recycled alloy to exhibit similar age hardening behavior as shown by measurements of hardness and indentation plastometry.