Rexam’s North American Corporate Office in Chicago, Illinois, received top honors in the 2015 Great American Can Roundup (GACR) Industry Challenge by recycling more than 61,000 pounds of aluminum beverage cans.
The GACR Industry Challenge, sponsored by the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), collected and recycled 193,213 pounds of beverage cans, raising more than $85,000 for local charities across the U.S.
Rexam’s recycling efforts raised nearly $24,500 for local charities. As the winner, the company received an additional $2,000 to donate to charity.
“The Great American Can Roundup recycling contest continues to be a great opportunity for our industry to show our local communities how easy it is to recycle and the inherent value in aluminum,” said Claude Marbach, president and chief executive officer, Rexam Beverage Can North America. “It is our pleasure to team with fellow can makers, suppliers and local charities to set a positive example in the communities we do business in. On behalf of the entire team at Rexam, I’d like to thank the manufacturing plant and office teams across our industry that participated this year and continue to position the aluminum beverage can as the most environmentally-friendly beverage package in the world.”
Second place honors went to Ball Corporation’s Findlay plant in Ohio. This plant recycled 38,364 pounds of aluminum beverage cans, equating to more than $17,400 raised plus the $1,000 prize money, all for donation to a charity of their choice.
Ball Corporation’s Rome plant in Georgia took third place by recycling 10,199 pounds of aluminum beverage cans and raising more than $4,000 for charity.
CMI sponsors the GACR Industry Challenge annually to promote awareness around the environmental benefits of recycling aluminum cans. The 2015 Challenge involved more than 40 facilities, including plants and corporate offices.
Participating U.S. can manufacturers are Rexam BCNA, Crown Holdings, Inc. and Ball Corporation, as well as the two aluminum supplier companies, Novelis and Alcoa. The facilities partner together with their local schools, charities and other organizations to spread the recycling message and give back to their community.
Since its inception, the GACR Industry Challenge has recycled more than 7 million pounds of aluminum cans, equating to more than $7 million raised for charities around the country.
Published in the January 2016 Edition of American Recycler News