Participants of the national America Recycles Day Aluminum Can Challenge competition recycled a record 229 tons (458,000 pounds) of aluminum beverage cans and raised more than $150,000 for local charities from September 1 to November 15, 2005.
The results of the contest, organized by the Can Manufacturers Institute and the Aluminum Association, shattered last year’s total of 123,000 pounds of aluminum and $88,000 collected.
The competition challenged aluminum suppliers and beverage can manufacturers across the nation (including Puerto Rico) to collect the most pounds of recycled cans per employee with proceeds benefiting local charities.
Thousands of employees from 58 participating can manufacturers and aluminum supplier facilities participated in the challenge. Proceeds from their efforts were donated to local chapters of charities including Habitat for Humanity, United Way, American Red Cross-Katrina Relief Fund, Guayama Schools, City of Golden Recycling Center, Monticello (Indiana) Parks Department and Louisville Metro Government recycling efforts.
“Our industry’s participation in the America Recycles Day Aluminum Can Challenge underscores our commitment to the environment,” says Robert Budway, CMI president. “Not only is this challenge beneficial to the environment, but also to the local charities to which each facility has elected to contribute.”
The winner of the contest in the Aluminum Supplier/Can Manufacturer Category was ARCO Aluminum of Louisville, Ky. The facility worked with Louisville Metro to collect a total employee per capita collection of 4,430 pounds. This yielded a monetary donation of $10,500, which includes an ARCO Aluminum donation of $5,000, a U.S. Conference of Mayors “Cans for Cash” Recycling Innovation Award of $5,000 and the ACC’s award ($500) to the Louisville Metro Government educational recycling efforts.
“The aluminum can creates value as a sustainable, completely recyclable package,” says Patrick M. Franc, president, ARCO Aluminum. “Louisville is taking advantage of the opportunity that recycling brings to a community, creating social, economic and environmental value.”
In the Aluminum Supplier/Can Manufacturer Category, second place honors were awarded to Rexam Beverage Can Americas in Freemont, Ohio for recycling 753 pounds per capita of aluminum beverage cans. Rexam’s St. Paul, Minneapolis facility finished a strong third place with 686 pounds per capita. Less than 100 pounds per capita separated the two plants.
“We are very proud of our (Fremont, St. Paul and fourth place Whitehouse) facilities for showing the kind of local community leadership we strive to achieve in the cities we do business,” says Harry Barto, president and CEO, Rexam Beverage Can North America. “This is a great example of industry cooperation to drive awareness of the great environmental benefits of the most popular beverage package in the world.”
This year’s Aluminum Can Challenge included a special category: awarding a $500 charity check to Novelis Corp.’s Berea, Ky., plant for recycling the most aluminum cans per capita. Their 2005 aluminum can recycling proceeds combined with contest earnings including an in-house Novelis recycling competition and matching fund campaign netted $10,500 for their selected Marion County Habitat for Humanity.