Together, the Aluminum Association, the Can Manufacturers Institute, and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries have reported that 2013′s used aluminum beverage can recycling rate hit 66.7 percent. This marks the third year in a row that the US recycling rate has surpassed 65 percent.
According to the Aluminum Association, the US’s Used Beverage Cans (UBC) recycling rate from the previous decade only averaged 54 percent. The Aluminum Association notes that the UBC recycling rate has grown in the last decade because US recyclers have been importing used cans from Canada, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia, amongst other countries. Due to the US’s closed-loop recycling process, the imported UBCs bolster the US’s recycling stream.
In 2012, the amount of imported cans declined; however, in the same year, US consumers recycled more cans, so the numbers balanced out.
Aluminum Association — Sustainability Facts
Can Manufacturers Institute — Beverage Can Facts
Can Manufacturers Institute — Recycling & Sustainability
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries — White Papers, Reports, and Analysis
Developed and Written by Dr. Subodh Das and Tara Mahadevan
October 6, 2014
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