« November 2008 | Main | January 2009 »
In 1959, the Aluminum Corporation of America released a pamphlet outlining the joys of owning an aluminum Christmas tree called "How to Decorate Your New Aluminum Christmas Tree." Also included were tips on tree safety, displaying your tree and how to create ornaments for your aluminum tree. For your enjoyment, we have searched Alcoa's Technical Library and found the original pamphlet Alcoa printed in the 1950's.
Introduced to the market in 1959 by the Aluminum Specialty Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the aluminum Christmas tree soon became a staple in people's homes at Christmas time. Aluminum trees had a unique, "modern" look that appealed to consumers during the Space Age. The trees were easy to set up and take down. They also did not require the stringing of lights, due to the potential of electrical shock. Instead, lighting was provided separately by a rotating color wheel- a spotlight with three or four colored lenses that changed the apparent color of the tree as the lens rotated in front of the light.
The chart below represents the comparison of used beverage can (UBC) reclamation rates in the US from 2007 and the most up to date totals for 2008. The total for UBCs recycled this year through November amounts to 1,342.6 million pounds compared to 1,380.7 million pounds from January-November of 2007, which is a decline of 2.8%.
Have you caught any news stories lately on the falling market values for recyclables? Chances are that you have and perhaps you've caught yourself wandering if recycling is still worth the effort if it's not paying as high.
Dwindling prices are partially due to the foreign markets that dictate the demand for many of your recyclables. These foreign markets, mainly in Asia, are the eventual recipients of many of the items you put into your recycling bin. Once received, the recyclables are processed to make new products to export, mainly back to Europe and the US. The demand for these new products has decreased significantly due to the depressed global economy, resulting in lower prices and demand for recyclables.
The latest economic downturn has exposed the recyclables that are more heavily reliant on these foreign markets. This is reflected in the much lower prices for items such as paper and plastic in Asia. One of the items in your recycling bin that is not as dependent on these foreign markets is aluminum.
Historically, aluminum has been the most valuable item in the recycling stream, often carrying the burden of cost to running recycling programs. Aluminum retains more of its relative value because it is the most energy intensive to produce from virgin materials; hence the value of it for recycling is also the highest...as it affords huge cost savings. Industrial consumers of aluminum, such as Alcoa, recognize these fundamental economics and incorporate those energy savings in the prices they will pay for aluminum cans. Another important contributor to the greater, relative stability in markets for aluminum is the fact that aluminum is a domestically driven market that allows for your recycled cans to be turned into new products right here in the US. Over 90% of all aluminum collected in the US is recycled in the US. This domestic demand enables the US aluminum industry to provide long term markets for up to 10 years into the future for aluminum at reasonable prices. Also, the increasing demand for aluminum products containing higher recycled content adds to the stable, promising long term outlook for aluminum scrap demand.
Don't be worried if you think you're collecting aluminum cans with the concern that aluminum demand will dry up. Never fear-- aluminum and Alcoa are here to stay!
We want your comments! We are curious about your thoughts on if the latest economic downturn has affected your recycling habits. Send us an email with your comments. Thanks!
