Alcoa Recycling

RecycleMania Sets Recycling Record

A few months ago, we told you about a popular recycling competition among college campuses called RecycleMania.  Well, the results of the competition are in – and they are impressive.

During the 10-week competition, RecycleMania brought in more than 84.5 million pounds of recyclables and organics from 607 colleges and universities across the country.  That represents a 21 percent increase over last year’s results and sets a new record for the largest total collection in the 10 year history of RecycleMania.

Some of the most notable performances included: 

For the second straight year, Rutgers recycled more material than any other school: 2.54 million pounds.

The cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy won honors for recycling an average of 81.75 pounds per student during the 10 week competition.  

Ursinus College recycled more aluminum can and bottles than anyone else.  The Collegeville, Pa. school recycled 19.44 pounds of cans and bottles per person during the RecycleMania competition.

RecycleMania was started in 2001 as a friendly competition between Ohio University and Miami University and has grown to include colleges in all 50 states and beyond.  RecycleMania is a program of the College and University Recycling Council and is made possible through the sponsorship support of The Coca Cola Company, American Forest & Paper Association and Keep America Beautiful.

You can learn more at www.recyclemania.org.

Aluminum Can Reclamation Report: March 2010

The latest surveys from the Aluminum Association show a 6.2% increase in the reclamation of used beverage cans in March 2010. The figures show that 95.9 million pounds of used beverage cans were reclaimed in March, compared to 90.4 million pounds in February.

The figures, however, represent a 15.5% decrease compared to March 2009.

For the year, a total of 267.9 million pounds have been reclaimed. That is down 14.2% from 2009.

 

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Alcoa Celebrates Earth Day

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Alcoa employees across the country have been promoting the importance of aluminum recycling.  Here are two examples:

Warrick, Indiana: Alcoa employees gave away more than more than 300 recycling bins at an Earth Day celebration last weekend at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden in Evansville. To promote the recycling message, they also recreated a giant recycling display built from more than 6,000 cans of food. 

Knoxville, Tennessee: Alcoa participated in Earthfest on Saturday at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, where employees promoted the importance of recycling aluminum cans.  Recycling bins were given away to anyone who made a $5 donation to the Tennessee Valley Earth Partnership.  Knoxville employees also provided free recycling bins at a “Keep Blount Beautiful” event on April 15.

Alcoa Volunteers Get Creative to Promote Recycling Message

A team of volunteers from Alcoa’s Warrick, Indiana plant have taken a creative approach to spreading the recycling message and helping the less fortunate in their community.

That creativity came in the form of a seven-foot tall recycling bin built from canned food that was donated to a local food bank. The design was as part of CANstruction, a food drive and design contest that encouraged teams to build interesting structures from their food donations. You can read more about the event in the Evansville Courier & Press. 

Alcoa’s entry featured a large recycling bin with three soda cans, including two cans that appear crushed, to reinforce the importance of aluminum recycling. The structure was built with more than 6,000 cans, representing a ton and a half of food. That food and a $3,000 grant from Alcoa will be donated to the Tri-State Food Bank in Evansville.

The public was able to view the displays at Washington Square Mall, where Alcoa volunteers provided free, heavy-duty plastic recycle bins and talked to people about the importance of recycling.

What You Can Learn About Recycling From A 9 Year Old

Here’s a great recycling story from Frederick, Maryland, where a nine-year-old girl has launched a local recycling program to collect aluminum cans and other recyclables.

The Frederick News Post tells how Ashley Terry’s desire to protect the environment encouraged the fourth grade student to arrange for a large collection bin to be placed at a local park.  The recycling bin was donated by Reliable Recycling Center.

“It's good for our environment and Mother Earth,” Ashley said. 

The money raised through the recycling program will benefit needy families at Ashley’s school.

“We thought it would be a good way to help the environment and families in the community," said Jen Terry, Ashley's mother.  “We are such a small community. We try to help each other.”

This story serves as a great reminder that anyone can launch a recycling program in their community and use the proceeds to benefit a worthy cause.

Calling All Cell Phone Users: Recycle Those Old Phones

There are more than 4 billion people with a cell phone today – and most of them never think about recycling their old phones.  The Environmental Protection Agency wants to change that.

As part of National Cell Phone Recycling Week, the EPA is working with leading cell phone manufacturers to remind consumers to recycle their old cell phones, batteries and chargers.  

Americans toss more than 130 million cell phones into the trash each year and just as many get stashed away in closets, junk drawers or other nooks and crannies.  

  

Recycling cell phones helps protect the environment by reducing the amount of waste in landfills, saving energy and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.  And it allows manufacturers to recycle valuable materials, including gold, silver, copper and aluminum.

Aluminum, the world’s most recyclable material, has become a popular choice for many cell phone manufacturers who want a sleek, modern look and a lightweight, durable material.