Alcoa Recycling

Aluminum Cans Helped Raise Over $100k in One Community

Alcoa’s Evermore Recycling would like to recognize Cans for the Community in Lawrence, Kansas for reaching a milestone of donating $100,000 to local nonprofit groups. Their commitment to recycling while benefitting their community has enabled them to recycle more than 7,000,000 aluminum beverage cans since 2005. We would like to congratulate Cans for the Community and thank them for their continued hard work and dedication.
http://www.cansforthecommunity.org/

Today is Crush A Can Day 2012. One way to celebrate: Play @Alcoa's #PassTheCan app for Facebook; $1 donated to charity

Aluminum Can Recycling Container Photo: Jason Anfinsen/Flickr

Play Alcoa's PassTheCan

Raise awareness about the importance of aluminum can recycling and give back.
Source: http://www.mnn.com/money/personal-finance/blogs/crush-a-can-day-2012

Today is Crush A Can Day 2012; yes, such a day exists. The aluminum can recycling rate in the United States is on the rise but as a nation, we still have a long way to go. According to The Aluminum Association, the aluminum beverage container recycling rate in 2011 jumped to 65.1 percent, up 7 percent from the year prior. However, that means that one-third of the aluminum cans used in the United States are not recycled.
 
Alcoa and the Alcoa Foundation are working to improve aluminum recycling through a $2 million Clinton Global Initiative commitment. The “Action to Accelerate Recycling” will focus on aluminum as well as plastic, glass and paper recycling education efforts.
 
Through the initiative, Alcoa estimates that 90 tons of recycled content will be diverted from local landfills. If this diversion level is achieved, it would result in the avoidance of 850 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
 
In addition to the “Action to Accelerate Recycling” initiative, Alcoa announced a new Pass the Can Facebook app, which includes a charitable donation. Through these efforts, the aluminum can recycling rate in the nation should be on track to reach a 75 percent recycling rate by 2015.
 
In honor of Crush A Can Day, help spread the word about the importance of aluminum can recycling, share the Pass the Can app and even head out and collect aluminum cans in your neighborhood. If you decide to collect cans in your community, I encourage you to pledge the financial proceeds from the recycling process to a local charity.

http://www.mnn.com/money/personal-finance/blogs/crush-a-can-day-2012

http://www.alcoa.com/passthecan/redir.asp?WT.mc_id=926

Alcoa, Alcoa Foundation and Keep America Beautiful Launch “Action to Accelerate Recycling” Commitment to Increase U.S. Recycling Rates

Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation Announce $2 million Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action

New York, NY (Sept. 24, 2012) – At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting today, Alcoa (NYSE:AA), Alcoa Foundation and Keep America Beautiful (KAB) announced a national commitment to increase U.S. recycling rates. “Action to Accelerate Recycling” will generate awareness, create incentives, and provide recycling access and infrastructure to increase U.S. recycling of aluminum, plastic, glass and paper. The commitment, which includes $2 million in funding from Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation, is expected to engage millions of Americans and increase the current U.S. recycling rate by 10 percentage points. Increasing the rate to 75 percent would generate close to 300 additional tons of recycled content, resulting in the avoidance of more than 2,850 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S. recycling rate lags the rest of the world, which has financial and environmental implications: millions of dollars spent on landfills and transporting waste; billions of dollars lost from residual value of scrap; and missed opportunities to create green jobs. A recent report from the Blue-Green Alliance found that increasing recycling rates in the United States to 75 percent for all municipal solid waste would create 1.5 million jobs.

“For every can that is recycled, we save energy and money, reduce our environmental impact, and create economic opportunities in U.S. communities,” said Klaus Kleinfeld, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa. “Our partnership with Keep America Beautiful is a ‘call to action’ for companies, consumers and community organizations to make recycling a priority. Together with our industry partners, we set and can achieve an ambitious yet achievable 75 percent aluminum can recycling rate by 2015 in the U.S.”

“We are singularly focused on influencing people’s recycling behaviors at work, at home and at play through education, programs and awareness campaigns,” said Matt McKenna, president and chief executive. “One of our commitment’s key initiatives is the launch of a first-ever, multi-million-dollar national media campaign on recycling scheduled for early next year.”

“Action to Accelerate Recycling” includes the design and launch of global recycling programs that educate and activate people of all ages, incentivize behavior change, increase access to recycling bins, and help parks, housing complexes and universities build infrastructure to create and expand recycling programs.

“The Action to Accelerate Recycling” commitment includes:

Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation Initiatives:

• “Pass the Can” - For every virtual can passed through this Facebook app, Alcoa Foundation will donate $1 (up to $75,000) to Keep America Beautiful, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Planet Ark to fund recycling programs around the world. For more information: www.passthecan.com/cgi
• Net Impact - “Small Steps, Big Wins” Campus Challenge will reach 50 college campuses around the world as 500,000 students participate in environmental actions, including recycling initiatives.
• DoSomething.org - The largest youth-led aluminum recycling drive in the U.S.
• Tailgate Recycling Programs - The Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, Purdue University and Clemson University will create innovative recycling programs that encourage fans to recycle in parking lots during football season.
• Pennsylvania Resources Council - The program will educate consumers about the recyclability of pet food cans and create a model for collecting cans that is easily replicated.

Keep America Beautiful Initiatives:

• Industry Pledge to Increase Recycling - Solicit industry to pledge a 10% increase in the recycling of aluminum, paper, plastic and glass in the workplace through variety of programs;
• Recycling Media Campaign - Multi-media campaign to reach 200 million people; and,
• State Fairs Recycling Initiative - Provides recycling access and develops best practices in 4-6 underserved public venues with funding from Alcoa.

“We are excited to create awareness, incentives and programs with dynamic non-profits and universities that share Alcoa’s passion for improving the environment,” said Paula Davis, president, Alcoa Foundation. “By tapping into strong existing networks and developing multiple programs online and on the ground, we will enlist students, professors, colleagues and friends all over the country in the drive to increase recycling, a meaningful step towards more sustainable and prosperous communities.”

About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is the nation's leading nonprofit that creates vibrant communities. With a strong affiliate and partnership network, the national nonprofit works with millions of volunteers to take action in their communities through programs that deliver positive and lasting change. For additional information, visit www.kab.org.

About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., with assets of approximately US$446 million. Founded more than 50 years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than US$550 million since 1952. In 2011, Alcoa Foundation contributed more than US$20 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the world, building innovative partnerships, engaging its people to improve the environment and educating tomorrow’s leaders. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa’s (NYSE:AA) thousands of employee volunteers who share their energy, passion and purpose to make a difference in the communities where Alcoa operates. Through the company’s signature Month of Service program, in 2011, a record 56 percent of Alcoa employees took part in more than 1,200 events across 24 countries, reaching 81,000 children, serving 9,000 meals, planting 34,000 trees and supporting 1,800 nonprofit organizations. More information can be found at www.alcoafoundation.com.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,100 commitments, which are already improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $69.2 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for11 consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.

Alcoa Introduces "Pass The Can" Facebook App; Players Use Social Network To Drive Aluminum Recycling and Environmental Stewardship

Alcoa Foundation to donate $1 each time user passes the can to friend, benefiting nonprofit organizations

New York, September 24, 2012 -- Alcoa (NYSE:AA) introduced a new Facebook app today that engages and educates users about aluminum recycling in a fun way and leverages their social network to encourage their friends to act.

In "Pass the Can", players crush a virtual aluminum can, pass it to Facebook friends, and at the same time encourage real-world recycling and contribute to a 'green' cause.

Each time a can is ‘passed’ through the app to a friend, Alcoa Foundation will donate $1 (up to US $75,000) to recycling efforts led by three leading conservation non-profit organizations: Keep America Beautiful in the U.S., Planet Ark in Australia and the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Europe. In addition, each time a can reaches a new level of intercantinental travel, the player is awarded a badge with aluminum recycling facts to share with friends.

"'Pass the Can' is a fun way for Facebook users to make a big impact on real-world aluminum recycling and help increase the can recycling rate," said Beth Schmitt, Director of Recycling Programs for Alcoa.

Alcoa has a goal to help the U.S. raise its recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans to 75 percent by 2015. In 2011, the U.S. recycling rate rose to 65 percent from 58 percent in 2010. This means 61 billion aluminum cans were recycled in the U.S. in 2011, with the energy saved equivalent to 17 million barrels of crude oil.

"Recycling is a global challenge because tens of billions of cans are still being wasted. Aluminum cans are infinitely recyclable and are the most valuable material in the recycling bin, so they should never see a landfill. Recycling a can takes only five percent of the energy needed to make that can from scratch, so there’s a big benefit," Schmitt said. "We're excited to engage Facebook users from all over the world in doing their part to encourage their friends to recycle – by passing the can."

Alcoa's "Pass the Can" Facebook app will be officially launched today at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York when Alcoa, Alcoa Foundation and Keep America Beautiful announce the "Action to Accelerate Recycling" commitment, a $2 million national initiative to increase U.S. recycling rates.

"Pass the Can" is Alcoa's second app created to promote aluminum can recycling. In 2010, Alcoa launched Aluminate™, a recycling app for iPhone and iPad that helps consumers find recycling centers, track how many aluminum cans they recycle and calculate the cash they earn through recycling. Also in 2010, Alcoa launched its first recycling viral video, An InCANvenient Truth, featuring Carl the Can Man, which rocketed to the top of YouTube’s nonprofit category on the day of launch.

Following are the recycling projects funded through “Pass the Can”:

KAB:

• Keep America Beautiful will identify state and county fairs in non-deposit bill states and initiate recycling at several of these large recreational events across the U.S. in 2013 and 2014. Specifically, KAB will provide support for the placement of recycling bins, develop both technical support and communication tools, provide training, and identify cost-effective best practices for State and County Fair recycling programs over a two- year period.

IUCN:

• International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Education and Communication (IUCN CEC) will focus on bringing together environmental education approaches from across Europe to be developed in Hungary, focusing on educating youth through interactive events and games that focus on topics including recycling and conservation. IUCN CEC will develop a curriculum that includes games, materials, training and interactive tools for local use in Hungarian and English for wider use across Europe.

Planet Ark:

• Planet Ark’s mission is to work with people and businesses to teach them the simple ways in which they can reduce their impact on the planet, at home, at work and in the community. In partnership with Alcoa Foundation, Planet Ark will develop recycling-based lesson plans, and interactive class activities that are linked to curriculum outcomes for K-12. These will be promoted as a core component of National Recycling Week for 10,000 Australian schools in 2012 and beyond. As a result of this program, up to 30,000 students will have a better understanding of recycling and how to reduce contamination in recycling and assess its environmental benefits.

About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for11 consecutive years and approximately 75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 31 countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.

Pass the Can: http://www.alcoa.com/passthecan/redir.asp?WT.mc_id=926

Aluminum can recycling rate jumps to 65.1% by @shawnmwright at @WasteRecycNews

Related:

Aluminum Can Recycling Infographic

 

Since 1972, it's estimated that some 53 billion pounds of aluminum have been recycled. Infographic:

Aluminum Can Recycling Infographic from Alcoa Inc.

Alcoa Now Sole Owner of Evermore Recycling, The World Leader in Beverage Can Recycling

Alcoa has taken full control of Evermore Recycling, the undisputed leader in used beverage can (UBC) recycling, and is now operating as a wholly-owned entity of Alcoa. Alcoa and Novelis previously were partners in the joint venture which purchases more recycled cans than any other group anywhere in the world; Alcoa agreed in July to take full control of Evermore at the end of August.

Alcoa’s Evermore Recycling is now a part of Alcoa’s Global Packaging group and will continue to be based in Nashville, TN.

“We are very pleased to have Alcoa’s Evermore Recycling as a wholly-owned part of our business as they are known throughout the world for their strong and committed relationships across the recycling supply chain,” said Andrey Donets, President of Alcoa Global Packaging. “We practically invented the concept of recycling aluminum and have been leaders in pioneering within the industry -- we see our strong relationships growing even stronger as we move into this new chapter,” added Donets.

Alcoa’s Evermore Territory managers will continue to work with UBC suppliers throughout North America and beyond through these regional assignments:

• Northwest – Laura Chapman laura.chapman@alcoa.com mobile: 931-624-7427
• West -- Michael Kirk michael.kirk@alcoa.com mobile: 720-939-5475
• Great Lakes and Canada – Tim McAllister tim.mcallister@alcoa.com 615-337-2435
• Central – Jon Mulder jon.mulder@alcoa.com 918-361-2963
• Northeast and Oregon – Rich Mayenknecht rich.mayenknecht@alcoa.com 615-585-5201
• Southeast – Brian Cabat brian.cabat@alcoa.com 615-585-8092
• Central and South America – Alfredo Tinoco alfredo.tinoco@alcoa.com 615-585-8354

Mexico will be serviced by Kirk, Mulder and Tinoco. John Woehlke will continue to serve as General Manager of Alcoa’s Evermore Recycling.

The aluminum can is the most sustainable package in the world and is easily the most recycled container across the globe. Aluminum cans are recycled into new cans in less than 60 days and require 95 percent less energy than cans using primary metal – a cycle that can be repeated infinitely. Approximately 75 percent of all the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in use today.
Read More

The Aluminum Can Extends Its Lead as Most #Recycled #Beverage Container! 2011 #Aluminum Can #Recycling Rate Reaches 65.1%!

For Immediate Release:

ALUMINUM CAN EXTENDS LEAD AS MOST RECYCLED BEVERAGE CONTAINER

Aluminum Can Recycling Rate Reaches 65.1 Percent

WASHINGTON, D.C., August, 28 2012 – The U.S. recycling rate for aluminum beverage containers jumped seven percentage points, from 58.1 percent to 65.1 percent for 2011, the Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) announced today. That means 61 billion cans were recycled in 2011, a milestone that marks solid progress toward the industry’s goal of a 75 percent recycle rate. The higher recycling rate also secures the aluminum can’s position as the most recycled beverage container. Aluminum cans are recycled at a rate that is more than double that of any other beverage container.

“We are excited to have made strong progress toward our goal to increase the aluminum can recycling rate to 75 percent," said Heidi Brock, president of the Aluminum Association, “but we need the help of every American to continue to raise the rate. There is much more work still to be done here in the United States to reach our goal by 2015.” The Aluminum Association’s Can Committee, composed of Alcoa, Tri-Arrows Aluminum and Golden Aluminum, along with the entire can industry is committed to continuing efforts to increase the aluminum can recycling rate.

“Cans are an obvious green packaging choice because it takes 95 percent less energy to produce a can from recycled material, resulting in significant energy, emissions and resource savings. The amount of energy saved just from recycling cans in 2011 is equal to the energy equivalent of over 17 million barrels of crude oil. That’s the amount of oil needed to fuel more than 1 million vehicles on the road for 12 months. Interestingly, that same amount of energy equivalency that recycling cans saved (17 million barrels of crude oil), is also what it takes to produce the 29 billion plastic water bottles Americans consume each year, 1” said the Association’s Can Committee Chair, Allison Buchanan of Alcoa. “What’s more, these savings can be realized over and over again due to the infinite recyclability inherent in aluminum cans. That means the cans we recycle after our upcoming Labor Day barbeques will be back on the store shelf as new cans by Halloween; not just this year, but for many years to come.”

This can-to-can closed loop process happens in as little as 60 days, and if consumers do their part to make sure cans find the way to a recycle bin, those cans will never have to see a landfill. In fact, aluminum cans not only have the highest recycling rate of all beverage packages, they also have the greatest amount of total recycled content – by far – an industry average of 68 percent.

Robert Budway, president of the Can Manufacturers Institute said, “We are thrilled about the continued growth in aluminum can recycling rates. Metal can be used forever if we keep it out of landfills, and higher recycling rates benefit the economy, people and the planet, optimizing the can’s environmental footprint. We thank consumers for recognizing the can’s value in the recycling stream and helping us to maintain the can’s endless recycling loop.”

“As the first link in the supply chain, the scrap recycling industry is dedicated to meeting manufacturing’s vital raw materials needs, including the growing demand for recycled aluminum and used beverage containers (UBCs,) while serving as an environmental steward,” said Joe Pickard, chief economist at ISRI. “In 2011, aluminum recovered from purchased scrap in the United States increased 8 percent to more than 3 million metric tons, while at the same time total U.S. aluminum scrap exports rose 12 percent to more than 2.1 million tons.”

A large part of the increase in the recycling rate was driven by imports of used beverage containers; imports in 2011 increased approximately 25 percent, underscoring the need for improved recycling among U.S. consumers as well as the value of aluminum. Because of a high demand for recycled aluminum cans in the United States, the aluminum industry purchases UBCs from Mexico, Canada and other countries as many cans get shipped to those countries. Used cans have value, the highest of any material in the recycling stream, and are shipped into the United States for melting and conversion into new cans. The Aluminum Association has included imported cans in its recycling rate since it began reporting in 1972. In the last several years, the steady increase in imports has become a more impactful factor to the overall recycling rate in the United States.

Footnote:
(1) http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/spacescience/water-bottle-pollution/

REFERENCE 1:


(1) Imported cans are reclaimed and melted in the United States and included in Total UBC Reclaimed and Melted (pounds) above.
(2) Exported UBC are collected through recycling in the United States, and included in the Total UBC Reclaimed and Melted (pounds) above; however, they are being physically reclaimed and melted outside of the US.
(3) US Manufactured Can Shipments= unfilled cans produced and shipped from can making facilities in the United States.

###

Contacts:
Jim Lewis
The Aluminum Association
(703) 358-2966
Jlewis@aluminum.org

Can Manufacturers Institute
Sherrie Rosenblatt
(202) 232-4677
sronenblatt@cancentral.com

Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
Billy Johnson
(202) 662-8548
billyjohnson@isri.org

According to the National Recycling Coalition, Aluminum is Top Item to Recycle

According to the National Recycling Coalition, these are the top ten most important items to recycle: aluminum, PET plastic bottles (polyethylene terephthalate, usually used for carbonated drinks and water bottles), newspaper, corrugated cardboard, steel cans, HDPE plastic bottles (high density polyethylene, used for detergents, bleach, shampoo, milk jugs, and other purposes), glass containers, magazines, mixed paper, and computers.

Well, that’s a long list. And if you’re not already recycling, it may seem a bit daunting. So let’s start with the top three items, and explain exactly why they are the most important things to recycle.

#1: Aluminum. This is because aluminum cans are 100 percent recyclable and can also be recycled over and over again. Even better, turning recycled cans into new cans takes 95 percent less energy than making brand-new ones. So how about starting with all those soda and juice cans?

#2: PET Plastic Bottles. Americans will buy about 25 billion single-serving bottles of water this year, according to the Container Recycling Institute. Worse yet, nearly 80 percent of those bottles will end up in a landfill. Let’s put a stop to that. Making plastic out of recycled resources uses about two-thirds less energy than making new plastic. And because plastic bottles, more than any other type of plastic, are the most commonly used type, they are usually the easiest to recycle.

#3: Newspaper. This is a pretty obvious one, right? It seems like a no-brainer to set up a recycling bin next to your garbage can for newspaper and any other scrap paper. So why should we recycle paper? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, paper makes up about one-third of the all the municipal waste stream in the U.S. That’s a whole lot of paper, and since we know that recycling all that paper conserves resources, saves energy, and doesn’t clog up the landfills, there’s no reason not to do it.

Of course, there’s also reducing and reusing, and if you choose those, you will have even less to recycle!
Read more

Curbside Convenience: Alcoa-Supported Plan Makes Recycling Easy

Columbus, Ohio (USA) is rolling out curbside recycling to 220,000 households with the help of Curbside Value Partnership, sponsored in part by Alcoa.

"There is an unprecedented opportunity in Ohio," an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official said.
CVP helps communities increase participation in curbside recycling programs. Its recent foray into Columbus shows promise for moving the country closer to Alcoa's goal of recycling 75% of all beverage cans in the U.S. by 2015. The current rate is just over 58%. CVP is the only nationwide U.S. program that engages government, private industry, haulers and materials recovery facilities to identify solutions to make curbside recycling programs more profitable and sustainable. In addition to Alcoa and other aluminum companies, its sponsors include grocery associations, can producers, beverage companies and environmental protection groups.

The group's latest rollout of curbside recycling is in Columbus, the largest city in Ohio, which is the third-largest state in consumption of canned beverages. Over the next several months, 220,000 households will receive curbside recycling, which is expected to save the city $13 million to $15 million in waste disposal fees each year. Given that Columbus is the largest city and the state capital, other Ohio cities are closely watching the results to see what they can learn from the Columbus program. Early indications are positive.

"Our Ohio Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] contact Andrew Booker reported to me that the volume collected met expectations and material was very clean [well-sorted]," said Alcoa Recycling Director Beth Schmitt.

Booker told Schmitt, "I really believe that there is an unprecedented opportunity in Ohio right now to move things forward in a significant way, given the waste/recycling industry investment in infrastructure and end-using industry desire and support for more materials. We just need to align the state policy in a way to support your efforts, by getting more of the material generated out of the waste stream and into the recycling stream."

In addition to CVP, Alcoa works with Ohio EPA and the Ohio Solid Waste Advisory Council to foster recycling in the state.

"Things are moving in the right direction," Schmitt said.