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Nearly 56 billion aluminum cans were recycled in 2010, leading to a used beverage container (UBC) recycling rate of 58.1 percent – the highest in 11 years.
Because it takes 95 percent 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.
“We are pleased the recycling rate has increased from last year – this is a boost for our industry and further evidence that the aluminum beverage can is the best environmental and sustainability packaging option,” said Steve Larkin, president, The Aluminum Association. “Of course we must do more at the federal, state and local levels to enact recycling policies and awareness, and this is a task we continue to pursue aggressively. We continue to look for partners who are also sincere about making a real change in how we approach recycling in the U.S. today.”
Aluminum beverage cans are unique in that they can be infinitely recycled back into new cans, keeping waste out of landfills and providing a significant amount of the material to make new cans.
Aluminum cans not only have the highest recycling rate of all beverage packages, they also have the greatest amount of recycled content – by far – at 68 percent.
“There’s a huge difference between what’s recyclable and what’s actually recycled,” said CMI President Robert Budway. “Not only are cans infinitely recyclable back into new cans, they actually are being recycled at a rate nearly twice that of every other beverage package. This, coupled with the fact that aluminum cans have the highest recycled content and provide the longest shelf life of any beverage package, underscores why the can truly is the sustainable solution for twenty-first century packaging.”
“As the first link in the manufacturing supply chain, the scrap recycling industry provides vital feedstock material sought after by industrial customers around the world, including more than 4.6 million metric tons of aluminum scrap processed in the United States and shipped throughout the United States and more than 50 countries in 2010,” said Robin Wiener, president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.
“Aluminum cans represent a valuable portion of these recyclable commodities,” Wiener added. “Recycling is much, much bigger than the bin at the curb. Our industry provided a $77 billion boost to the U.S. economy in 2010, protected our environment and helped save energy and natural resources.”
The aluminum beverage can is the most valuable package in the recycling stream and is the only packaging material that covers the cost of its own collection and reprocessing.
In 2008, the Aluminum Association adopted a goal of recycling 75 percent of aluminum cans by 2015. The recycling rate at that time was 54.2 percent, and it has been gradually climbing upward since then; the 2009 UBC recycling rate was 57.4 percent.
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According to AAA, which tracks gas prices as a service to consumers, every Northern California metro area tracked by the organization saw a double digit decrease at the pump over the past month.
The Golden State’s average for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline is $3.94, down 32 cents since last month’s AAA report on May 10. For perspective, that’s 86 cents higher than California’s average price on this date last year.
Among all 50 states, California now has the fourth highest state average price for regular, unleaded gasoline. Alaska is first and Hawaii, Connecticut, and Illinois are tied for the second highest average price, while New York is third.
Northern California gas prices are now averaging $3.92, down 33 cents from last month. In the San Francisco Bay Area, motorists can expect to pay an average price of $4.02, which is a 30-cent drop. The national average price of $3.70 is down by 25 cents, which is $1.00 more than the national price on this date last year, when it was $2.70.
“Consumers continue to experience welcome relief at the pump as gasoline markets in the U.S. are returning to relatively lower prices,” explained AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. “Gasoline demand is down over the last week after it steadily rose for the four weeks prior. Speculation about where oil demand might go for the second half of 2011 continues to cause controversy worldwide.”
At its meeting last week in Vienna, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was unable to come to a consensus about whether its members should increase oil production to meet the rising global demand forecast for the remainder of 2011.
The meeting ended in confusion and without consensus on production levels which is unusual for a group that relies on unification to influence the market.
The Saudi Oil Minister has now said that his country will meet the needs of the market regardless of the disagreement.
This action is expected to apply downward pressure on crude prices. OPEC member countries collectively hold 79 percent of global crude oil reserves and account for 44 percent of global production.
The United States imports almost six million barrels per day of crude oil from OPEC countries, accounting for nearly a third of U.S. consumption.
The least expensive average price in Northern California can be found in Marysville, where regular is $3.78.
Of all the metro areas in Northern California where gas prices are tracked by AAA, Eureka’s average price of $4.17 is the highest.
The highest price reported by AAA in the lower 48 states is in Chicago, Illinois, where the average is $4.18.
The least expensive gasoline in the country is found in the metro area of Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson, South Carolina, where the average price of gas is $3.37.
Wailuku, Hawaii, holds the dubious crown for the highest average price in the nation, at $4.40 per gallon.
AAA now offers text alerts via mobile phone for low gas prices in your area. Sign up today at www.aaa.com/gas.
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