The U.S. recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans has
reached its highest level in a decade, with 58.1% of all cans recycled last
year-a rate that is nearly than double that of any other beverage container,
theAluminum
Association,
Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and Institute of Scrap Recycling
Industries (ISRI) announced June 15.
Nearly 56 billion aluminum cans were recycled in 2010,
leading to a used beverage container (UBC) recycling rate of 58.1%-the highest
in 11 years. Because it takes 95% less
energy to produce a can from recycled material, the high recycling rate also resulted
in significant energy savings. The
amount of energy saved just from recycling cans in 2010 is equal to the energy
equivalent of 17 million barrels of crude oil, or nearly two days of all U.S.
oil imports.
In 2008, the Aluminum Association adopted a goal of
recycling 75% of aluminum cans by 2015. The recycling rate at that time
was 54.2%, and it has been gradually climbing upward since then; the 2009 UBC
recycling rate was 57.4%.
