27 12, 2012

Kickstart 100% Recycled Aluminum Bikes With ReCycle

2015-06-18T15:33:37+00:00December 27th, 2012|

What happens when you recycle all those aluminum cans? In most cases, you’ll get some pocket change in return and the accumulated cans ship off to a recycling plant, with the materials later distributed as — drum roll please — more cans.

 

ReCycle, a Los Angeles-based startup, is looking to put the cycle in recycling, all while pumping out a product that’s just a little more exciting than aluminum cans. ReCycle is striving to make the world’s first line of bikes manufactured from 100% recycled aluminum — and they’re looking for a little help from their cycling-enthusiast friends. From their Kickstarter page:

 

It all started with inspiration sparked by a recycled-materials, reusable grocery bag with “ingredients” printed on it attached to a messenger bag. Aluminum. Rubber. Plastic. “Hey. Those are bike parts.” Flash! A few years later, and our prototypes are alive, well and rolling down a street near you. (If you live in Los Angeles.) Against so many odds, we’ve managed to create a head-turning bicycle made from 100%-recycled aluminum, making it the greenest transportation option available anywhere.

 

Now, it’s time to roll The ReCycle forward and start reducing carbon output and waste by reusing aluminum through a closed-loop, recycling mission to create new and awesome bikes from old and worn out materials.

 

The goal of ReCycle’s Kickstarter campaign is to raise enough funds to manufacture 50 of their bikes, or a dollar amount of $105,000 by January 1. Backers will receive anything from t-shirts to custom paint jobs on a ReCycle bike, along with the generally good feeling about encouraging reusable materials in innovative ways.

 

To contribute to the Kickstarter campaign, visit their official page or learn more at ReCycle’s site.

28 11, 2012

When Aluminum Recycling Goes Wrong – Really Wrong

2015-06-18T15:33:37+00:00November 28th, 2012|

In tough economic times, aluminum is a hot commodity. Because of its recyclable properties — and the fact that recycled aluminum can easily be exchanged for cash — people will do just about anything to turn that scrap into dollars.

Of course, it’s one thing for a family to collect soda cans from the office or the neighborhood. On the other extreme, you have a recent story out of Philadelphia that involves theft and a little bit of espionage.

Brian Pierson of Philadelphia decided it’d be a good idea to steal aluminum forms from J.M. Pereira & Sons construction company. But after the first theft on July 17, owner Carl Pereira decided he’d take matters into his own hands. From the Times Herald of Montgomery County:

Court papers indicate that Carl Pereira told authorities that aluminum construction forms were stolen from his work site at 100 Destiny Way in Montgomery Township during the early morning hours of July 17, July 21 and July 23.

“After the first theft on July 17, Pereira hid a GPS tracking device in a construction form at the Montgomery Township construction site location,” Montgomery Township Detective James Reape wrote in the criminal complaint.

On July 21, when the second theft occurred, the GPS device provided the location of the stolen goods to be a Philadelphia area scrap metal yard, court papers indicate. Pereira accompanied Philadelphia police to the scrap yard and identified the property and retrieved the tracking device.

Video surveillance showed a male operating a red Dodge Ram pickup truck selling the aluminum to the scrap yard at 7:49 a.m. July 21, according to the arrest affidavit.

The lesson here? Stick to collecting cans for that extra recycling money. And if you’ve had some valuable aluminum stolen from you, GPS technology can be your friend.

6 09, 2012

Aluminum Recycling: Growing, But We Can Do More

2015-06-18T15:33:38+00:00September 6th, 2012|

It’s well-know that aluminum is the most commonly recycled metal in the United States. There’s good reason for that too – its output (mostly in the form of soda cans) has the biggest consumer reach, and with aluminum recycling programs so popular around the country, everyday folks have incentive to collect and turn in cans. It also helps that aluminum is the most efficient metal to recycle.

The good news is that everyone wins when it comes to aluminum recycling. The better news is that aluminum recycling rates have gone up over the past year – seven percent, from 58.1% to 65.1% in 2011 to be exact according to the group of the Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute, and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. From Environmental Leader:

“That means 61 billion cans were recycled in 2011, and that aluminum cans are recycled at a rate that is more than double that of any other beverage container, the organizations say. The industry has a goal of reaching a 75 percent recycle rate by 2015.”

A 75% recycle rate by 2015 means growing roughly by 3% for 2012 (which includes ongoing collected data), 2013, and 2014. However, the numbers aren’t quite as simple as “everyone recycle more!”  Here are further details from Environmental Leader:

“A large part of the increase in the recycling rate was driven by imports of used beverage containers. Imports in 2011 increased by about 25 percent, underscoring the need for improved recycling among US consumers as well as the value of aluminum, the organizations say.”

The import of recycled cans essentially swaps out local used cans for recycled cans sourced from other countries – kind of like buying carbon offsets for energy. That means that there are significant ways that both the industry and consumers can achieve this, thus decreasing the reliance on imported cans. The non-profit group As You Sow noted that the true overall recycling rate is about 35% — which is significant, but certainly far off from the ideal 75% (that is, all of the targeted 2015 goal made up by American recycled cans). Their recommendation is to pin a greater responsibility on manufacturing companies; the other side of the argument is to provide more incentives and accessibility to the general consumer.

23 11, 2011

There’s More to America Recycles Day than Meets the Eye

2015-06-18T15:33:40+00:00November 23rd, 2011|

The results are in from America Recycles Day! As a following up to last week’s post announcing the yearly event, an article was released this week detailing the success of this year’s campaign, which garnered nearly 3 million aluminum cans for the benefit of local charities.

Since its inception in 2003, the Industry challenge has collected and recycled over 295 million cans nationwide. The competition, which asks 68 manufacturing facilities to partner with local schools and organizations for 108 days, exclusively benefits non-profit charities and community groups like the Boy and Girls Club and Habit for Humanity.

“Our contest provides an opportunity for can manufacturers and their employees to give something back—not only to the environment, but to their local communities,” said Robert Budway, president of CMI. “Our industry is proud of its efforts to optimize aluminum beverage can recycling while re-energizing the recycling ethic among consumers. We are even prouder of our efforts to reach out and help individuals that are really struggling in this tough economy.”

Awards were given to the top earning manufacturing plants this year, reflecting “the highest per-capita collection rates based on the number of pounds of aluminum collected per plant employee.” Winning branches were located across the nation’s Midwestern region in Illinois, Ohio and Indiana. The results of which were as follows: “Rexam manufacturing plant won first place…with 614,261 cans collected and recycled. [And] second and third place went to two Ball Corporation plants [who] collected 723,360 and 249,249 cans, respectively.”

CLICK HERE to read more about the impact of America Recycles Day and those who made the campaign such a success this year.

Go to Top