Novelis Inc. said it recycled a record 38 billion used beverage cans in 2006, equal to more than 500,000 tons of aluminum.
By reducing the need for the mining and smelting of new metal, this recycling effort avoided the generation of about six million tones of greenhouse gas emissions and saved the energy equivalent of more than 19 million barrels of oil.Aluminum produced from recycled metal uses about five percent of the energy that is needed to produce primary aluminum, and avoids up to 95 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary production.
Novelis operates a total of five can recycling facilities, with three in the United States. Cans recycled by Novelis are manufactured back into new can sheet in a "closed-loop" process that can be repeated infinitely, saving energy and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions each time.