The recycling rate for aluminum cans increased to 54.2% in 2008 as compared with 52.8% in 2007, according to industry trade groups that track recycling trends.
Aluminum cans have the highest recycling rate of any beverage container, according to the Aluminum Association, the Can Manufacturers Institute and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.
“The aluminum can is a sustainable beverage package,” said Kevin Anton, chairman of the Aluminum Association and president of Alcoa Materials Management. “Recycling conserves energy, saves resources and minimizes consumer and production waste.”
Original Article: Waste & Recycling News
Environmental Benefits
- Recycling aluminum cans saves precious natural resources, energy, time and money – all for a good cause – helping out the earth, as well as the economy and local communities.
- Aluminum cans are unique in that in 60 days a can is recycled, turned into a new can & back on store shelves.
- Aluminum is a sustainable metal and can be recycled over and over again.
- In 2008, 53.2 billion cans were recycled, saving the energy equivalent of ~15 million barrels of crude oil – America’s entire gas consumption for one day.
Economic Benefits
- The aluminum can is the most valuable container to recycle and is the most recycled consumer product in the U.S. today.
- Each year, the aluminum industry pays out over $800 million dollars for empty aluminum cans – that’s a lot of money that can go to organizations, like Habitat for Humanity, the Boy or Girl Scouts of America, or even a local school. Money earned from recycling cans helps people help themselves and their communities. Recycling helps build new homes, pays for a group trip, supports a project or buys a lunch!
- Today it is cheaper, faster and more energy-efficient to recycle aluminum than ever before. The aluminum can is 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely. The can remains the most recyclable of all materials.
- Used aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled item in the U.S., but other types of aluminum, such as siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames, and lawn furniture can also be recycled.
- Aluminum has a high market value and continues to provide an economic incentive to recycle. When aluminum cans are recycled curbside, they help pay for community services.
Original Article: Earth911 Article
References: Aluminum Association, Inc.
