A recycling association formed by can and beer manufacturers has issued a report indicating that in 1994 the ratio of beer and soft drink cans that were recycled reached 70% for steel and 60% for aluminum. Can recycling has been increasing thanks to the growing number of manufacturers that are turning recycled cans into a resource, as well as aggressive community efforts to develop collection systems, the effects of which are beginning to be felt.
Steel cans are used for beer, soft drinks, and canned foods. The record-breaking heat wave in 1994 significantly raised soft drink demand, increasing the amount of steel used to make cans by 8.4%, or 14.75 million tons, compared with the previous year. Steel manufacturers rose to the occasion by increasing the amount of recycled steel can scrap they used by 24.2%, bringing the total amount to 10.3 million tons. This resulted in raising the recycling ratio to 69.8%, or 8.8 points over the year before. The 70% level is just around the corner.
For the same reason, domestic aluminum can consumption climbed by 23.2% from 1993, reaching 2.47 million tons. The amount of aluminum recycled, including that used for cast items, rose by 30.2% to 1.51 million tons. This brought the recycling ratio up by 3.3 points to 61.1%, placing it on the 60% level for the first time. Aluminum can production has quadrupled in the past decade, and the amount recycled has risen six times.
Many localities are setting up large-scale recycling centers equipped with separating and pressing equipment, and as systems for separated collection take root, growing quantities of steel and aluminum cans can be expected to be recycled as resources.
(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)