Alcoa Recycling

Knoxville nature center distributes free bins to promote recycling

The Ijams Nature Center, a park and wildlife sanctuary in Knoxville, has been working at local recycling drop-off centers for several months to promote recycling awareness.  A group of AmeriCorps members recently teamed up with Ijams to distribute free recycling bins donated by Alcoa Recycling Company. More distribution events are planned in the coming months.

Alcoa Dedicates Expanded Recycling Operations

Alcoa is ready for you to recycle more aluminum cans.  The company dedicated a $24 million expansion of its Tennessee recycling facility today that will increase its recycling capability by nearly 50 percent.

“The aluminum can is the world’s most efficient package, largely because it can be recycled infinitely,” said Klaus Kleinfeld, President and CEO of Alcoa. “Today we are celebrating the successful completion of our expansion and another milestone in our drive to help increase recycling rates across North America.”

In 2009, Alcoa announced a commitment to work toward increasing recycling rates in North America to 75 percent by 2015. Increasing recycling capacity is part of the overall strategy to drive recycling rates.  Reaching that goal will save the emissions of two coal-fired power plants.

The new Tennessee Operations Can Reclamation facility includes a new crusher and delacquering furnace and supporting building enclosures, utilities and environmental systems. These improvements will help increase capacity using state-of-the-art environmental and fuel-efficient technology, as well as support future flexibility to process other scrap types. 

Recycling an aluminum can saves 95 percent of the energy it takes to make a can from new metal. A used beverage container can be recycled and back on the shelf in 60 days, something no other beverage package can do.

Aluminum Association’s Cans for Causes program promotes recycling for charity

The Aluminum Association is encouraging recycling for a good cause by providing free recycling bins and bin liners to help charitable organizations.  The “Cans for Causes” program has recently provided support to a number of organizations across the nation:

South Carolina: Cans for Causes is helping an avid high school tennis player launch a recycling program called LOVE that focuses on collecting cans, bottles and tennis ball cans at local tennis tournaments.

Ohio: Cans for Causes is helping the St. Richard Theatre Company in Olmsted recycle aluminum cans during its upcoming performances.  

Arizona: Cans for Causes is helping Central Arizona Animal Rescue (CAAR) raise money to help protect animals in search of a permanent home.

Illinois: Cans for Causes is helping the Green Ministry of Cross of Glory Church in Homer Glen with its desire to “go green” and raise money through recycling.  Funds will be used to support the less fortunate in the community and educate church members about how to be good caretakers of the planet. 

Virginia: Cans for Causes is helping “Homes for Our Troops” raise money through recycling to build a handicap-accessible homes to accommodate an injured veteran in Fairfax County.  Sgt. Steven Kiernan was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq when he lost both of his legs in May 2008.

Alcoa, NY Recycling Association Team Up to Provide Free Recycling Bins to College Campuses

Alcoa and the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling (NYSAR³) are joining forces to provide 2,000 free recycling bins to the winners of a video contest about college recycling.  

The contest – designed to encourage recycling on college campuses – requires schools to create a three-minute video that focuses on why their school needs a recycling program, how they would implement a recycling program or ideas to promote recycling on campus.  All videos must be submitted by May 5.

The winning school will receive 1,000 recycling bins for their campus.  The second place school will receive 600 bins and third place will receive 400 bins.  The 22-gallon green plastic bins are being donated by Alcoa Recycling and provided to NYSAR³ for distribution to the contest winners. 

“We’re excited to partner with Alcoa to encourage college students in New York to recycle aluminum cans and other recyclable material,” said Dianne Woske, president of NYSAR³. “The more our citizens recycle, the more we can protect the environment and lessen the burden on our landfills.”

When you toss an aluminum can into a recycling bin, it can be recycled and back on store shelves in less than 60 days. And every time aluminum is recycled, it uses 95% less energy then when it was first made.

“Alcoa and the Aluminum Association have a goal of increasing the recycling rate of aluminum cans in the U.S. to 75% by the year 2015,” said Greg Wittbecker, Alcoa's Recycling Director. “If every American recycled just one more can per week, we could reach that goal. Aluminum is infinitely recyclable.”

Aluminum Can Reclamation Report: February 2010

The latest surveys from the Aluminum Association show a 10.7% increase in the reclamation of used beverage cans in February 2010. The figures show that 90.4 million pounds of used beverage cans were reclaimed in February, compared to 81.6 million pounds in January.

The figures represent a 3.9% increase compared to February 2009.

For the year, a total of 172.0 million pounds have been reclaimed. That is down 13.5% from 2009.

Recycling Competition raises $2.3 million for charity

A friendly competition among aluminum suppliers and beverage can manufacturers led to the recycling of more than 105 million aluminum cans in a 12-week period.  The competition – known as the Aluminum Can Council’s America Recycles Day Challenge – raised more than $2.3 million for Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, Toys for Tots, local parks, schools, recycling programs and other non-profit groups.

The challenge, started in 2003, is designed to highlight the sustainable benefits of the aluminum can, increase the U.S. recycling rate and reinforce the aluminum industry's commitment to sustainability, the environment and supporting local charities.

Alcoa participated in the competition with fellow aluminum suppliers, including Arco Aluminum and Novelis, and beverage can manufacturers, including Ball Corporation, Metal Container Corporation and Rexam.  A total of 30 companies participated.

The Chatsworth plant worked with local organizations, including a partnership with the Valley Recycling Center and the San Fernando Valley Habitat for Humanity, to incorporate recycling efforts into concerts, runs and other fundraisers.  

Environmental Benefits of the America Recycles Day Challenge

* Total Cans Recycled: 105,676,467

* Total Pounds Recycled: 3,089,057

* Equivalent energy in barrels of oil: 33,892

* Length of Cans if Stacked End to End: 8,026 Miles

* Value of Aluminum: $2,316,789

Plastiki Aims to Send “Message in a Bottle”

An adventure-seeking environmentalist is hoping an 11,000 mile journey aboard a ship made of plastic bottles will help draw attention to the amount of waste – specifically plastic waste – that is being tossed into our oceans.

The brainchild of David de Rothschild, the Plastiki is a 60-foot catamaran comprised of 12,500 plastic bottles, a hull made from recycled plastic and a recycled aluminum irrigation pipe that serves as the ship’s mast. He believes that PET (polyethylene terephthalate) – the material most commonly used in plastic bottles and bags – should be reduced, regulated and minimized, if not completely abolished in favor of more recyclable materials.

“It’s about encouraging the world to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink more of the planet’s natural resources,” says a web site devoted to the project.

Although plastic bottles are recyclable, it is estimated that more than 38 billion plastic bottles wind up in landfalls. Only about 20 percent of the bottles are recycled and are typically turned into other materials, such as carpet, and not back into plastic bottles.  

By comparison, aluminum is the world’s most recyclable material. Nearly 70% of all aluminum cans in the world are recycled – and cans have a recycling rate more than double other packaging in the U.S.  That’s one reason why nearly 75% of all aluminum ever created is still in use today.   And unlike plastic bottles, aluminum cans are recycled back into cans and return to store shelves within 60 days. They are infinitely recyclable.    

The Plastiki serves as a reminder that recycling allows waste to be used as a valuable resource.  And it highlights the benefit of recyclable materials, including aluminum.  You can follow the voyage at www.theplastiki.com.

Alcoa supports Keep America Beautiful program in Tennessee

Alcoa has donated 363 recycling bins to help Keep Cocke County Beautiful.  The donation to the Tennessee-based affiliate of Keep America Beautiful is one of many of programs being supported through Alcoa’s 2010 Recycling Bin Program. 

“We are absolutely elated to receive this award,” said Charlene Cureton, chair of the Keep Cocke County Beautiful Board of Directors. 

The 22-gallon bins will allow local officials to increase residential recycling in the growing community. 

“This bin distribution program is just one way that we’re trying to make it easier for people to recycle,” said Greg Wittbecker, Alcoa Director of Recycling Strategy. 

Alcoa and the Aluminum Association are working to increase recycling of aluminum cans to 75% by 2015. The current recycling rate for aluminum cans in the United States is 54%. If every America recycles one additional aluminum can a week, the recycling goal can be reached. 

To help reach that goal, Alcoa is partnering with state recycling organizations to help meet local needs. The company will donate a total of 50,000 recycling bins this year.

RecycleBank Boosts Recycling in Houston by 141%

A RecycleBank program in Houston funded in part by Alcoa Recycling is yielding tremendous results.  During the first three months of collections, the city’s recycling volume increased by 141% in those neighborhoods participating in the pilot program.  The program currently involves 20,000 homes – it will soon be expanded to 50,000 more homes in Houston – and results show that 78% of eligible homes are recycling.

RecycleBank, founded in 2004, is a rewards program that motivates people to recycle. Homeowners can earn reward points for every pound of material they recycle, and then redeem those points for rewards or discounts from area merchants. A computer chip inside the curbside bins keeps track of how much each family recycles and determines how many awards points each home receives.

RecycleBank has proven to more than double recycling rates in cities in 21 states across the country and the United Kingdom. Alcoa is a proud supporter of RecycleBank.

Alcoa donation helps Choctaw Indian Nation boost recycling

The Choctaw Indian Nation in southeast Oklahoma is placing a renewed emphasis on recycling, thanks to the donation of recycling bins from Alcoa.  Alcoa donated 300 bins last year that have been used in community centers throughout the 10½ counties that comprise the Choctaw Indian Nation. 

Alcoa will provide up to 500 more bins this year to expand the recycling effort into the homes of tribe members.

Tribal leaders say the recycling effort is generating significant income to support programs for seniors.