Associations Report Increase in Aluminum Can Recycling Rate

The Aluminum Association, the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) has released statistics indicating that Americans and can recycling industries recycled 51.5 billion aluminum cans in 2004, for a beverage can recycling rate of 51.2 percent. This reflects a 1.2 percent increase from the 2003 rate and the first increase since 1997, according to a press release issued by the Aluminum Association.

"This rising rate reflects the high value of aluminum recycling," says Craig P. Eddy, chairman of The Aluminum Association and president and chief executive officer of Coastal Aluminum Rolling Mills, Inc.

"Through such initiatives as Cans for Habitat, a recycling partnership with The Aluminum Association and Habitat for Humanity, as well as a joint public service campaign with Nickelodeon, utilizing animated character Jimmy Neutron, The Aluminum Association and its allied organizations work to stress the environmental and economic value of recycling aluminum cans," Eddy says.

"We are very pleased in the increase in recycling rates," Bill Barker, group director, Global Beverage Cans, Rexam, and chairman of the Can Manufacturers Institute, says. "But there is still much work to do. We are looking forward to working with the aluminum sheet suppliers, the beverage marketers and legislators to promote the values of recycling to consumers to keep this momentum."

Aluminum can relcamation numbered 1,479 million pounds in 2003 as opposed to 1,518 million pounds in 2004, a 2.6 percent increase. The number of cans in a pound also increased from 33.72 in 2003 to 33.92 in 2004, according to the study, which includes used beverage cans melted by U.S. facilities plus exports of can scrap and imports of UBC scrap melted in the United States.