Alcoa (NYSE:AA) today announced that it will provide 50,000 recycling bins to organizations and communities throughout the U.S. as part of its 2010 Recycling Bin Program.
"Alcoa and the Aluminum Association have a goal of increasing the recycling rates of aluminum beverage cans in the U.S. from the current 54% to 75% by the year 2015," said Greg Wittbecker, Alcoa Director of Recycling. "This bin distribution program is just one way that we're trying to make it easier for people to recycle."
As it has done for the past two years, Alcoa is partnering with state recycling organizations to establish individual allocations based upon locally-identified needs. Interested individuals or groups should contact their state recycling organizations or state agencies of environmental protection for more details. States that will receive bin allocations in 2010 include:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Florida
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Oklahoma
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
Recycling aluminum cans provides benefits to the environment because it saves valuable landfill space, and the cans are infinitely recyclable. They can be used, recycled, and back on the store shelf as a new beverage can in less than 60 days. And, it takes 95% less energy to make a can from recycled aluminum, then from raw materials. Aluminum is also the most valuable material in the recycling bin. Although by weight it is less than 2% of the USA's recycled stream, aluminum generates 40% of the revenue to sustain all recycling programs.
"If we could get each American to recycle just one more can per week over what they already do, we could reach our 75% recycling goal," said Wittbecker.
Alcoa Recycling first started providing bins in 2008 and has given bins to municipalities, colleges, Native American tribes, and community-based organizations in 19 states.