The theme for Earth Day 2020 is Invest In Our Planet. How can you personally invest in our planet? Choose aluminum and recycle right.
Here are the top five ways aluminum is good for our planet:
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75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today. You can recycle aluminum over and over again and it doesn't lose any of its properties.
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Because of this, Aluminum is one of the best materials to "close the loop" for a more sustainable society.
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Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy needed to make new aluminum.
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We could power four million homes for a year with the energy saved by recycling all our aluminum cans.
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Aluminum is one of the most valuable recycled materials. It's one of the only materials in the waste stream that more than pays for its own recycling.
How can you prevent this valuable metal from ending up in a landfill? Make sure you're recycling right. Contact your local municipal waste management facility or go to their website. They'll have the information you need to dispose of aluminum correctly.
Be sure to support deposit programs for recycling. States with deposit programs recycle 80% of aluminum cans. That's almost double the rate than states without deposit programs. Government officials recently proposed legislation to support more deposit programs nationwide. Get involved. Write your local representatives to show your support.
If you're the competitive type, know that Europe does a much better job at recycling beverage cans. The recycling rate in Europe is at 76%. Germany boasts a 99% recycling rate. Here in the states, we’re at 45%. We can do so much better.
In 2019, 50 billion cans – more than $810 million worth of aluminum – ended up in a landfill. That's a stunning loss for our economy and the environment. Getting a lot better at recycling aluminum cans alone would make a huge impact in the U.S.
So do your part. It's an easy way to invest in our planet and our future. Choose aluminum and recycle right!