DON'T CAN  YOUR ALUMINUM CAN

 

When you toss out one aluminum can you waste as much energy as if you'd filled the same can half full of gasoline and poured it onto the ground.

 

BACKGROUND

Aluminum is the most abundant metal on earth, but it was only discovered in the 1820s. At that time it was worth $1,200 a kilogram, more than gold. According to World watch Institute: "Since its first use as a toy rattle for Napoleon's son, aluminum's use has escalated. The first aluminum beverage can appeared in 1963, and today accounts for the largest single use of aluminum.... In 1985 more than 70 billion beverage cans were used, of which almost 66 billion‑or 940/6‑were aluminum."

 

YES YOU CAN‑CAN

If you throw an aluminum can out of your car window, it will still

litter the Earth up to 500 years later.

 

If you throw away 2 aluminum cans, you waste more energy than is used daily by each of a billion human beings in poorer lands.

 

According to the Aluminum Association, Americans recycled 42.5 billion aluminum cans in 1988.

 

In 1988 alone, aluminum can recycling saved more than 11 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to supply the residential electric needs of New York City for six months.

 

The energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a television set for three hours.

 

Recycling aluminum cuts related air pollution by 95%.

 

Making aluminum from recycled aluminum uses 90% less energy than making aluminum from scratch.

 

SIMPLE THINGS TO DO

Because recycling aluminum is so profitable for manufacturing companies (they make $2 million every day from recycling), there probably are more different ways to recycle aluminum than any other material. Check to see which programs exist in your area:

 

Multi‑material drop‑off centers with separate bins for aluminum.

 

Buy‑back operations with scales to weigh recycled aluminum and pay consumers accordingly.

 

Large, igloo‑like containers for aluminum only, often found in supermarket parking lots.

 

Curbside pickup.

 

Reverse vending machines. These machines accept aluminum cans, reject ferrous cans, glass, or other unwanted objects. They weigh or count the aluminum deposited and dispense money or tokens in payment.

 

Before You Recycle Your Aluminum:

 

Remove food, rinse, crush, and bag or box cans.

 

Remember: a lot more than cans can be recycled, including aluminum foil, pie plates, frozen food trays, window frames, and siding.

 

RESULTS

According to Recycle America’s statistics: If only 250 people (in­cluding you, of course) each recycled one can a day, we would save the energy equivalent of 1,750‑3,500 gallons of gasoline every year. Now try that calculation with 250,000 people; just one can a day could save the energy equivalent of between 1.75 and 3.5 million gallons of gas. And that's only .1% of the U.S. population, with a single can apiece.

 

If we recycle, we mine less raw materials. To produce one ton of aluminum from raw materials, it takes a phenomenal 8,760 pounds of bauxite and 1,020 pounds of petroleum coke. But according to Aluminum Association estimates, this figure is cut down by 95% when recycled aluminum is used.

 

SOURCES

The Aluminum Association, 900 19th St. N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20006. They've got lots of info on how torecycle, how to set up

fundraising events, stats, etc. Most of it's free.