Alcan Builds on Recycling

Alcan Inc., headquartered in Montreal, has announced that the Sechelt, British Columbia, and Toronto Habitat for Humanity Canada affiliates are the first winners of the annual Alcan Builds on Recycling program. Alcan awarded these affiliates, which recycled the largest number of used aluminum beverage cans (UBCs), with CAN $60,000 to fund the construction of a new home in their communities.

The awards were presented at Habitat for Humanity Canada's Annual General Meeting in Ottawa May 5, at which Daniel Gagnier, Alcan's senior vice president of Corporate and External Affairs, said, "We're very pleased with the results in this first year of the Alcan Builds on Recycling program. Alcan has been a long-time supporter of Habitat for Humanity International. Building on our shared values we wanted to assist with additional support to Habitat for Humanity Canada in its efforts to provide a hand up to families through the dignity and self-sufficiency that home ownership implies."

Alcan launched the initiative in May 2004 as part of its sustainability-based Community Investment portfolio.

The Alcan Builds on Recycling program provides two levels of incentives for Habitat for Humanity affiliates to recycle UBCs. The first level provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants, to a maximum of CAN $2,500 yearly, to the affiliates who earn the highest cash value through UBC recycling. The second level awards a fully funded house to the two most successful recyclers—one on the basis of total cans collected, the other on the basis of total cans collected per capita in the affiliate's geographical region.

Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast in Sechelt was the top per-capita recycling affiliate in Canada. Its Co-chair of Fundraising Margie Garrard said, "Here in this rural area, we all have to get behind recycling in a huge way, so this program is really helping us give the community further incentive to all work together and do something great."

Habitat for Humanity Toronto was recognized as the top recycler. "Thanks to the support of everyone who brought us their cans, and who recognized that the benefits of this program go beyond recycling," said Neil Hetherington, CEO of Habitat Toronto.

David Hughes, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada, said, "Now that other affiliates understand the benefits of the Alcan Builds on Recycling program, both from an economic and environmental point of view, we're going to see an explosion of creativity when it comes to keeping an infinitely recyclable product out of the waste stream."

Habitat for Humanity Canada (HFHC) is a non-profit, faith-based charitable organization, founded in 1985. It operates as a membership association and consists of 65 member organizations operating in all 10 Canadian Provinces and in the Yukon, engaging more than 30,000 volunteers from coast-to-coast. HFHC looks forward to the completion of its thousandth home in the fall of 2005.