The majority of the funding will be utilized to purchase approximately 500 recycling bins for placement at public venues, including college and university athletic venues, publicly-owned athletic venues, publicly-owned golf courses, state parks and municipal parks around the state of Indiana.
“Approximately 30 percent of beverage containers in the U.S. are consumed away from home and currently the majority of these containers are not recycled due in large part to a lack of public space recycling infrastructure,” said Carey Hamilton, the executive director of the Indiana Recycling Coalition. Hamilton is also the volunteer co-chair for the Super Bowl’s Environmental Programs Committee. “The IRC has made public space recycling across the state a priority, so we are very excited to receive support from the Alcoa Foundation in reaching this goal,” continued Hamilton.
Grants will be provided to operators of eligible facilities who demonstrate the ability to create and maintain a beverage container recycling program. The IRC anticipates awarding approximately 50 grants across Indiana based on an average of 10-15 bins to each recipient. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2011, with bin grant awards to be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.
Tony Mason, Sr. Vice President, 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee said, “This supports our goal of encouraging recycling at events and venues throughout our community prior to, during, and beyond the 2012 Super Bowl. Alcoa’s support of this project will enhance community-wide recycling efforts at those venues and events including the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl resulting in a positive impact on our environment,” Mason said.
The Alcoa Foundation has strategic focus areas, and this grant connects with one of its goals to increase the number of people who take action to increase environmental sustainability in their daily lives. The used aluminum beverage can is the most recycled consumer material on earth, but recycling rates in the United States lag behind other countries. The program will help Alcoa toward a goal of raising the North American beverage can recycling rate to 75 percent by 2015.
“Aluminum cans are infinitely recyclable, and a recycled aluminum beverage can will end up back on the shelf, as a new can, within 60 days,” said Beth Schmitt, director of recycling for Alcoa. “We are excited about this investment from the Alcoa Foundation because we believe it will help us target cans that would otherwise end up in the waste stream. It’s an important step toward our goal of increasing the recycling rates for aluminum cans.”
Additional program information and the complete application are now available on the IRC website www.indianarecycling.org.
The Indiana Recycling Coalition’s mission is to support source reduction, reuse, composting and recycling activities in Indiana.
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