GRANTS FOR THE CORRECT SORTING OF USED BEVERAGE CANS

U.S. organizations such as the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and The Recycling Partnership have announced requests for proposals for the capture of aluminum beverage cans. Grants for robots, eddy current and other equipment or process improvements to collect used beverage cans at material recovery facilities will be sponsored by well-known can manufacturers such as Ardagh Group and Crown Holdings.

According to a WCC press release, the program will begin as a pilot effort in the southeastern United States because of its “great potential” to increase the recycling rate of used beverage cans. The grants will be offered in two rounds of applications, the first of which closed on 19 February, but the second is due to close on 31 March.

The first recipient is expected to be announced by the end of March and the remaining grants will be awarded by June 30 of this year. Beneficiaries are also expected to provide results of the initial impact of this program by the end of 2021.

A recent study by CMI (and reviewed in previous editions of Mundolatas) indicated that as many as one in four beverage cans is mis-sorted at a typical Material Recovery Facility (MRF). This results in high costs. Robert Budway, president of CMI, recently noted that these grants “will result in the capture and recycling of mis-sorted cans, which will generate significant benefits not only environmentally but also economically. The financial contribution of CMI members Ardagh Group and Crown Holdings to this effort aligns with their desire to increase aluminum beverage can recycling rates and their respective environmental, social and corporate governance efforts. We are pleased to now have The Recycling Partnership, a highly respected industry and recycling leader, join this initiative that can capture the effort as a strategic partner.”