Aluminum can recycling rate edges up in 2008

NEW YORK, Aug 14 (Reuters) - The used beverage container (UBC) recycling rate, or percent of aluminum cans collected, rose to 54.2 percent in 2008 from 53.8 percent in 2007, the Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute and Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries said Friday in a press release. The number of cans collected fell by 1.2 percent to 53.2 billion in 2008 from 53.8 billion in 2007 and the pounds of aluminum cans collected also decreased to 1.557 billion from 1.576 billion in 2007. While the number of cans shipped edged down 1.8 percent to 98.3 billion in 2008 from 100.1 billion in 2007, number of cans per pound of aluminum increased slightly to 34.18 in 2008 from 34.17 the year before, the industry groups said. An aluminum beverage can is 100 percent recyclable indefinitely. A recycled can requires 95 percent less energy to produce than creating an aluminum can from raw materials and can be back on the store shelf in as few as 60 days.