January 7, 2005
American Metal Market
Beverage container discard rate jumps 3.1% in '04, CRI estimates
Paul Schaffer
NEW YORK -- The number of beverage containers thrown out rather than recycled in the United States probably totaled around 131 billion last year, up about 3.1 percent from 127 billion in 2003, the Container Recycling Institute (CRI) said.
Nearly all of those cans and bottles ended up in landfills, incinerators and street litter, according to the Arlington, Va.,-based advocacy group.
Since the 2004 figure is largely projected, no breakdown by material is available, but the institute's 2003 estimate said that about 44 billion aluminum cans were recycled vs. 55.3 billion discarded, 9.2 billion glass bottles were recycled (compared with 26.8 billion discarded) and 10.2 billion polyethylene terephthalate bottles were recycled (vs. 37.4 billion discarded).
The institute's aluminum figures indicated a lower recycling rate than an annual tally by trade associations. The CRI contends that if exported can scrap is treated as part of U.S. recycling, then imported can scrap should be omitted from the statistical analysis.
CRI's agenda includes advocating laws requiring point-of-sale deposit payments that are refunded when the containers are handed in for recycling. "Beverage manufacturers reap huge profits from the sale of one-way, disposable beverage cans and bottles but don't want to take financial responsibility for the waste they create," Pat Franklin, CRI's executive director, said. "The containers are not getting from the consumer to the recycling businesses."
She noted that CRI hopes to set up some joint programs with businesses, other environmental organizations and public agencies to encourage greater efforts by consumers to keep beverage containers out of the trash.
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