Sustainability Spotlight: Aluminum Can Recycling Hits a High
lolitahe69 > 09-30-2020, 08:56 AM
Americans are getting the message about recycling - in 2010, instead of tossing empty cans in the nearest ordinary trashcan, almost 6 out of every 10 aluminum beverage cans were instead tossed into the nearest recycling bin. This amounts to nearly 56 billion cans entering the recycling stream. Considering that it takes 95 percent less energy to produce a can from recycled material, the amount of energy saved from recycling cans in 2010 is equal to the energy equivalent of 17 million barrels of crude oil, or nearly two days of all U.S. oil imports.
"We are pleased the recycling rate has increased from last year-this is a boost for our industry and further evidence that the aluminum beverage can is the best environmental and sustainability packaging option," says Steve Larkin, president of the Aluminum Assn.
Aluminum cans have proven to be the most recycled and most recyclable beverage container, in fact, they are the only packaging solution that is 100 percent recyclable. A can that is recycled can be back on the store shelf in 60 days - consumers could potentially buy a beverage in the same recycled aluminum can six times a year!
In 2008, the Aluminum Assn. adopted a goal of recycling 75% of aluminum cans by 2015. The recycling rate at that time was 54.2%, and it has been gradually climbing upward since then; the 2010 the used beverage can recycling rate was 58.1%, according to the Aluminum Association, the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).