UBC Recycling Rate Hits 55.4 Percent

Americans recycled 55.6 billion aluminum cans in 2001, for a beverage can recycling rate of 55.4 percent, and the industry paid out $850 million to recyclers for their used aluminum beverage cans.

For 20 out of 21 years the rate has exceeded 50 percent.

The statistics were released by three organizations representing the related industries, The Aluminum Association, the Can Manufacturers Institute, and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

"Our member companies are on a mission to encourage consumer aluminum can recycling," said Brian Sturgell, chairman of The Aluminum Association and executive vice president, Alcan Inc. "American consumers are vitally important to recycling, keeping the can as the most environmentally efficient beverage package," he said. "Many civic groups and charities, build fundraising campaigns around aluminum can recycling," said Sturgell.

In the United States, 100.3 billion cans were produced in 2001, with 55.6 billion aluminum cans recycled--some 1.66 billion pounds.

Robin Wiener, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, noted that the closed-loop recycling process is highly energy efficient. "Aluminum can recycling saves about 95 percent of the energy required to produce aluminum from ore. Furthermore, the aluminum can is the number one container for recycled content with almost half of each can made from recycled aluminum."

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