Editor's note:Where Alcoa Stands on Recycling
What A Waste!
1. The U.S. presently recycles less than 50% of all the aluminum cans it consumes.
2. That equals about 600,000,000 pounds of aluminum.
3. This wastes the equivalent of 4.2 BILLION kilowatts of electricity per year that is used to produce virgin aluminum to replace those cans.
4. That’s enough electricity to power 4,500,000 households in the U.S. for 1 year.
5. Another way to look at it…it’s the equivalent of 12,000,000 barrels of oil or equal to what we import per week.
Alcoa’s Call to Action
1. In January 2008, Alcoa challenged its partners in the aluminum industry to raise recycling rates to 75% by 2015.
2. This can only be accomplished through a joint effort of government, industry and the general public.
3. What needs to be done?
Government- A commitment to provide all citizens access to convenient and cost-effective recycling.
General Public- Americans need to change their “pre-disposal to dispose” and learn to recycle and re-use.
Industry- A commitment to take back 100% of the aluminum that it ships out in the form of recycling aluminum scrap.
Practical Steps to Recycle
1. “Make It Second Nature”. At Alcoa, we have coined a new slogan to drive our commitment to recycling. “Make It Second Nature” means making recycling an extension of our everyday lives. We all must change our behavior to make recycling habitual.
Just as we all grew up “taking out the trash”. Now, we must learn to “take out the recycling”.
2. Size for Success: UPSIZE your recycling containers. If you have curbside recycling in your neighborhood, tell your provider you need a BIGGER container to hold your recycled products. The 22 gallon cartons are TOO SMALL. Ask for a minimum of 50 to 95 rolling “tote container”.
If you must take your recycling to a drop-off center (hurray for your efforts), get more 22 gallon cartons. These cartons are inexpensive and durable. Community bin grant programs through leading recycling advocacy groups are available to assist those who cannot afford containers.
3. Change Curbside Practices. Ask your provider if single stream service is an option. Single stream means placing ALL recyclables in ONE container…no more separation of items.
4. Ask your trash provider about a "Pay As You Throw" program. This innovative trash scheme charges you only for what you dispose of and takes your recycling materials away for free. This is a good way to lower your trash bill while also diverting valuable recyclables back into productive use.
5. Combine drop-off recycling with other errands. We understand gas is expensive, and making a special trip to a drop center is not practical. Combine your recycling drop-off with other trips. Form recycling car pools with neighbors to take turns taking recyclables to the centers.
6. Ask your community to create more drop-off centers in closer proximity to your home.
7. If you don’t have curbside service, ask your community or trash provider to add it and point out to them that every ton of recycling diverted from a landfill saves the community the cost of dumping solid waste (tipping fees) and extends the life of the existing landfill.
8. Don’t accept conventional wisdom that recycling DOESN'T PAY for itself. Other materials besides aluminum are increasingly valuable and Material Recycling Facilities have more markets than ever for paper, plastic, rubber, and glass.
9. Donate recyclables. Did you know that recyclable materials that are donated are tax deductible? Besides the gratification of helping worthy causes in your community, you can reduce your tax bite to Uncle Sam in the process.
10. Sell recyclables. Did you know that aluminum cans are currently fetching near record prices? Local scrap dealers are happy to pay 70 to 80 cents/lb for consumer cans…that’s about 2 cents a piece.
