Alcoa Recycling

Making the Case for Recycling

Ever wanted to present a sound argument to those people that attack recycling as a misled environmental initiative?  The Southeast Recycling Defense Council (SERDC) did just that in an essay they recently published about the multiple benefits that recycling has to offer people, communities, the economy, and of course the environment.  Preventing pollution, creating jobs, conserving energy are just a few of the advantages to recycling that the article describes. SERDC is a regional organization in the southeast that works with industries, government groups, and non-government organizations to promote sustainable recycling practices.

Check out the full length article: Download Recycling_Response.pdf

Major League Baseball Announces League-Wide Green Initiative

Major League Baseball in cooperation with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) announced a new environmental protection strategy that will span to all 30 Clubs in the League.  This strategy, dubbed the Team Green Program, was developed to provide each Club with the proper tools to analyze their energy use, purchasing, operations, water use, recycling and transportation with respect to environmental responsibility.  The League is attempting to concentrate its efforts in making wise environmental decisions to save energy and waste and make their organizations, teams, and stadiums run more efficiently- all of which will help to reduce their overall impact on the environment as well as lessen their operating costs.  Learn more about the Team Green Program through NRDC’s press release. 

Originally posted for August 5, 2008. 

NPR's Robert Siegel Learns the Rules of Recycling

In a story entitled "What's Behind a Patchwork of Recycling Rules?" Robert Siegel of the National Public Radio's (NPR) popular evening news program, All Things Considered, reports on his observations of his local curbside recycling program in Arlington, Virginia.  Through this odyssey, Siegel gains a better grasp on recycling terminology such as dual and single stream, learns more about the most valuable items in his recycling bin, and discovers the complexities behind recycling program operations. Siegel's report on these type of recycling questions will help shed some light on the mysteries of recycling and dissolve misconceptions about this industry.  Learn more about his experience by reading the entire article on NPR's website.

Originally posted on August 4, 2008

It's not always about saving the planet.

We at Alcoa tend to forget, in our zeal over recovering one of nature's greatest gifts, that recyclable aluminum can stir other passions besides conservation and sustainability. Fortunately, others have not.

Take the new exhibit at New York's Renwick gallery: "You Can Go Your Own Way: The Can as Foil in Contemporary Art." Any time someone can use the words for two great aluminum products (and use one of them twice) in connection with big-city art, we're all over it. And the best part is, this wonderful exhibit is all about works made from aluminum cans.

Stop by and browse the stuffed kitty nestled among dog food cans; the basketball hoop strung with curtains of cola cans, hard hats sporting beer cans, or an original Warhol Campbell's soup can cast in aluminum and filled with concrete. We haven't been there yet, but from the looks of the photos, thousands of UBC's escaped the recycling process so that this exhibition could take place. We'll give them that. For the greater good.

"You Can Go Your Own Way: The Can as Foil in Contemporary Art" continues through Aug. 2 at the Renwick Gallery, 45 Renwick Street, near Spring Street, South Village; (212) 609-3533, renwickgallery.com.

Originally posted on August 1, 2008

Today's Aluminum Pricing Information

Based on today's London Metal Exchange market, the retail price for used beverage cans is $.70-.75 per pound.  The day's wholesale price for mills is ranging from $.96-1.00 per pound.  The retail price refers to the amount charged to store customers, such as at a scrap metal buy-back center.  The wholesale price describes the amount paid by large sheet mills buying large quantities of used beverage cans.

Disclaimer:

• Wholesale Prices shown are indicative prices only, and are not an offer to buy from Alcoa or its representatives.
• Prices are for used aluminum beverage cans in bales or briquettes in truckload lots delivered to aluminum sheet mills in the USA.
• Quality specifications are subject to the unique requirements of each mill.
• Retail Prices are indicative prices only, and are not an offer to buy from Alcoa or its representatives.
• Prices are for loose or flattened used aluminum beverages cans delivered to local scrap buyers.
• Quality and prices will vary by region and sellers are advised to consult with local scrap buyers for specific market conditions.

Originally posted on July 31, 2008

Recycling Provides Offset Credits

The RecycleNet Corporation has recently introduced their Recycling Offset Credit program that is intended to reward companies for choosing to recycle.  Under this program, RecycleNet will issue one credit for each ton of material recycled by participants.  This credit represents the amount of greenhouse gases saved through recycling. 

In recent years there has been a heightened sense of awareness about the impact of higher levels of greenhouse gases, and in turn companies have become more inclined to develop strategies to reduce their carbon footprint- a term that refers to the impact human activities have on the environment in regards to greenhouse gases produced.  These offset credits can assist businesses in minimizing their carbon footprint by way of simply reporting the amount of recyclables they generate to RecycleNet.  The program is being offered free of charge to companies, institutions, and other organizations involved in all stages of recycling.

For more information about this program, visit RecycleNet's website.

Originally posted on July 30, 2008

Recycling at Olympics, Now and Future

In preparation for the Olympic Games in Beijing next month, event officials have organized a waste collection and recycling scheme to address the amount of discarded materials that will be generated from this multi-nation event.  The 31 venues for the Games in Beijing are expected to produce around 14,000 tons of waste based on the number of people expected to attend the competitions during the month of August.  As done in previous host cities, Beijing has committed to a pledge of recycling 50% of the total waste generated throughout the length of this year's Olympics.

It's never too early to plan for the 2012's Olympic Games to be held in London, England.  Event organizers have already incorporated recycling into the future construction of their Olympic stadium.  Their plan provides a second life for the Olympic stadium by allowing for the dismantling of 70% of the stadium after the closing ceremonies, packing up the moveable components and sending them off to the host city of the 2016 Olympic Games for reuse in the next Olympic stadium.  Who would have guessed that a stadium could be recycled!

Originally posted on July 29, 2008

Recycling Caucus in Knoxville, TN on Aug. 13

Waste Connections and RecycleBank will host a recycling caucus on August 13 in Knoxville, Tennessee to introduce the concept behind RecycleBank to local government officials, businesses, community groups, and other interested parties.  RecycleBank is a privately-held company that facilitates a type of residential curbside recycling program that offers incentives to households based on the amount of recyclables generated.  The more a household recycles will yield more incentives, which come in the form of redeemable coupons to area merchants.  The incentives are meant to serve as a source of motivation for people to instigate and maintain recycling as a consistent behavior in their lives.  Waste Connections and RecycleBank will work with the leaders attending this gathering to develop a coordinated effort for implementation of this curbside recycling model in Knoxville sometime in 2009.  Stay posted here for more information about this program!

Originally posted on July 28, 2008

Fortifying the Recycling Efforts in Alabama

The Wastes and Recyclable Materials Management Act was passed in the Alabama legislature in mid-April of 2008 with the intention for counties and non-profit organizations to start new recycling programs all across the state.  The funding for these new programs will come in the form of a $1 per ton levy placed on tipping fees for garbage trucks when they take loads to in-state landfills.  This levy will create funds for stimulating new recycling initiatives and help curb the amount of garbage generated, which experienced a state-wide increase of 57% between 1995 and 2007.  In addition to recycling, this piece of legislation also includes components that will provide funding for abatement of illegal dumps throughout Alabama.  Government officials estimate that $7.6 million will be generated from the tipping fees prompted by this act, which will serve the state in establishing more comprehensive support for recycling.

Originally posted on July 25, 2008

Today's Aluminum Pricing Information

Based on today's London Metal Exchange market, the retail price for used beverage cans is $.70-.75 per pound.  The day's wholesale price for mills is ranging from $.98-1.02 per pound.  The retail price refers to the amount charged to store customers, such as at a scrap metal buy-back center.  The wholesale price describes the amount paid by large sheet mills buying large quantities of used beverage cans.

Disclaimer:

• Wholesale Prices shown are indicative prices only, and are not an offer to buy from Alcoa or its representatives.
• Prices are for used aluminum beverage cans in bales or briquettes in truckload lots delivered to aluminum sheet mills in the USA.
• Quality specifications are subject to the unique requirements of each mill.
• Retail Prices are indicative prices only, and are not an offer to buy from Alcoa or its representatives.
• Prices are for loose or flattened used aluminum beverages cans delivered to local scrap buyers.
• Quality and prices will vary by region and sellers are advised to consult with local scrap buyers for specific market conditions.

Originally posted on July 24, 2008