Recycle Those Aluminum Cans!

A few weeks ago on a previous blog post,  I questioned the practice by some non-profit organizations to recycle only the tabs of beverage cans rather than the whole can.  The New York Times reported in one of their blogs a related article about can recycling. 

In their article, The New York Times describes the aluminum used in the can bottom as being different than the can top.  The recycling of the whole can changes the material so that the melted down material is not suitable for producing either the bottom of the tops of cans.  I would have to expect that the can tab is of the same material as the top of the can for greater strength, however, I have not been able to verify that.  But this blog is not about the details of the aluminum. This blog is about the practicality of being green and trying to find the best ways to participate within our abilities and budgets.

The exciting thing reported in this article, is that Novelis is a company that is making headway in the making the recycling of aluminum more feasible and productive by finding ways to use more recycled aluminum in creating various aluminum products and with less energy.  The company website has some great information about the progress they are making and how they intend to raise the recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans from the current 54 percent to 75 percent in the United States by 2015. Globally the recycle rate is 70 percent according to Novelis. 

My original posts asked the question if it was best overall to tear off the tabs of the aluminum beverage cans and recycle only that portion of the can with a great profit.  Is there a greater cost to me or to the collection organizations in accumulating the whole can rather than just the tabs?  If companies like Novelis are finding success in efficient recycling, I can only suggest that I will be recycling my whole aluminum can rather than just the tabs.  That will be my part in raising the recycle rate up to 75 percent.  Based on the information on this company's website, aluminum recycling is of great value in multiple products and can be made more efficient.  That sounds like we could all benefit from recycling beverage cans.

In addition to improving the recycling process, Novellis and Alcoa have joined together to create a new company  Evermore Recycling to improve the efficiency of collecting the aluminum cans being supplied to processors.  Maybe the nonprofit organizations recycling only the tabs, should consider contacting Evermore Recycling to find ways to efficiently recycle the whole can.  It's possible that efficiencies being created by Evermore would remove the barriers previously faced and still provide equal or better financial benefit to the non-profits and civic organizations collecting aluminum.
 
As always, this creates a few additional questions for me.  Please let us know if you have additional information or comments.

Questions about aluminum recycling:
1) Does the same recycle rate apply to other aluminum cans, such as canned meat or some pet foods?
2) Are all or most cans, aluminum or steel or other(?) recycled efficiently?
3) Why is the United States recycle rate so much lower than the global rate?

My benefits to recycling aluminum:
 a) Raising the recycle rate could reduce costs for aluminum in all products.
 b) Recycling is more energy efficient for the environment overall

My costs to recycling aluminum:
a) Separating them to recycle trash has little or no costs since my city picks up the items for recycling and there is no additional effort on my part.
b) Even if I have to take the cans somewhere to be recycled, if this location is in the normal path of my travels, there is still little or no additional costs.

 Grade for Aluminum Recycling:
   1) Reasonable costs to the consumer:      Definitely
   2) Beneficial to the individual consumer:   Definitely
   3) Beneficial to the overall Environment:   Definitely

Only the Tabs? What do I do with the rest of the Can?

This is not your normal blog on topics about being green.  I'm not here to convince you to do something as much as I am hoping to figure out what I as one person can do to do my part where I can and within my budget.

I have some questions!

A nonprofit organization has collaborated with my employer to collect only the tabs of the aluminum soda cans for recycling and raising money for the nonprofit organization.  I am all for helping to raise money for a good cause - but is this really the most responsible thing we should do?

They say that the tab has more aluminum than the whole rest of the can and also does not have the coloring of the can and this makes it more efficient to raise money through recycling.  I can understand that the tab is then more valuable and then gets a higher price per pound for recycling.  Not only do they get a higher price, but it takes a lot less effort and money to pickup a bucket of tabs than to pick up bags and bags of crushed cans.  As an accountant I can see the cost benefit here.

My question is simply this:  Is this the most effective way to recycle overall?  While this may benefit the nonprofit organization, does it end up costing someone else more?  Is the rest of can being recycled anyway by someone else? Does it in effect cost the same to recycle since the whole can is still being picked up by someone to recycle?

I am fortunate to live in a city that does a really good job of recycling.  If I take the tabs off the cans and take them to work, then giving the city the rest of the can, am I just taking money away from the city to give to the nonprofit?  If so, that doesn't seem effective at all and in fact could actually hurt my community.  I realize the effect could be very small, but it still seems out of proportion to the benefit.  The truth is a small donation to the organization would better serve all of us.

I think I'll make a cash donation to the organization, even if it's small and send my cans to the city.  Another added benefit of doing that is that I can deduct my contribution on my tax return if I itemize my deductions.  But that's another blog.

Does anyone have more facts or thoughts?

Followup blog posts:  Recycle Those Aluminum Cans!

Ink Cartridges

Here's a place where we could certainly use a little green help.  Ink cartridges for our home and business printers.  With online transactions and the need for printing and keeping receipts and statements and just general printing fun, we go through alot of ink, and it's getting more and more expensive.

Suggestions for greening up your Ink Cartridge usage:

1.  Print Less
2.  Recycle Print Cartridges
3.  Print more efficiently by printing large print jobs at a print and copy center
4.  Don't sign up for e-statements on your accounts where it is not cost affective
5.  Sign up for e-statements on your accounts where it makes sense to - but it doesn't always make sense to!
6.  Print and File to digital PDF copies and reserve printing paper copies for only necessary items.
7.  Buy a printer that is more cost effective and uses less ink


Can you think of more ways to GreenUP?  Please let us know and we will gladly update the list and share.

Welcome my Green Friends :)

All this talk of going green and corporate advertising about green products is overwhelming.  Certainly we need to do a better job of taking better care of our planet and each other, but how do we separate the marketing from the reality of what we can each do personally. 

This blog is about sorting out what information I can sort out, and taking personal responsibility where I can.  So if you are wanting to be greener and have some suggestions, please share!  If you are like me and are frustrated by the confusing and conflicting information, then come along and let's 'do the math' so to speak and see where we can take action today and where we might need to wait for a better greener option. 

Let's make it easy to be green!