CMI, Ardagh and Crown offer 2021 grants for aluminium can recycling
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The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) will make grants available in 2021 to Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) for aluminium can capture equipment, which will ensure used beverage cans (UBC) are accurately sorted, sold and recycled.
Aluminium beverage cans currently provide critical revenue to MRFs. A CMI-funded study concluded that without the revenue from UBCs, most MRFs, which are vital to the US recycling system since they sort single stream recyclables, would not be able to operate. But, while UBCs are typically the most valuable commodity in the residential recycling stream, up to 25% of UBCs are mis-sorted at a typical MRF. These mis-sorted cans can be captured with the right equipment, which would pay for itself with the additional revenue.
Directly funded by aluminium beverage can manufacturers Ardagh Group and Crown Holdings, the grant programme will provide clear examples of the efficacy and revenue impact that additional aluminium can capture equipment can have for a MRF. The results are expected to encourage more MRFs to invest in additional aluminium can capture equipment. Further, Ardagh Group and Crown Holdings are exploring additional recycling programmes that they, along with other partners, can implement to leverage additional aluminium can capture equipment in MRFs.
“With this new grant programme, the aluminium beverage can industry is demonstrating its commitment to building on the industry’s leading beverage packaging recycling rates,” said CMI vice president of Sustainability, Scott Breen. “Capturing these missorted cans will result in significant additional revenue for recyclers and deliver significant carbon emissions reductions from greater use of recycled aluminium.”
For more information about the CMI aluminium can capture grant programme, contact Scott Breen at: [email protected].
