Alcoa Wants To Raise North American Aluminum Beverage Can Recycling Rate

Alcoa has announced an ambitious new plant to raise the recycling rate of used beverage cans (UBC) in North America from the current rate of 52% to 75% in 2015.
“The aluminum industry must work together for common sustainability goals that transcend individual commercial objectives, and we must approach this with a sense of urgency. It’s all about recapturing this pool of energy before it is lost to the landfill,” said Greg Wittbecker, Alcoa’s Director Corporate Metal Recycling Strategy. The action was discussed with aluminum industry leaders during the Platt’s Aluminum Symposium. Recycled aluminum requires 95 percent less energy to produce and can be recycled many times.
In the U.S., there is an aluminum beverage can market of over 1.5 million metric tons per year of which, about 800,000 tons of UBCs are currently being recycled. Wittbecker said that the U.S. recycling rate has fallen steadily from a high of 68% in 1992. Brazil and Japan on the other hand report incredible recycling rates of nearly 95% and 92%, respectively, while the global average is 60%.

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