Beverage can manufacturers Ardagh Metal Packaging (AMP) and Crown Holdings (Crown) are funding two new grants for can capture equipment at material recovery facilities (MRF), which sort single-stream recycling into materials for sale, that will annually capture more than 20 million aluminium beverage cans. 

These additional cans captured each year are worth around $325,000 and when recycled will result in energy savings equivalent to powering more than 900 U.S. homes for an entire year.

These two grants are in addition to the four that AMP and Crown have previously funded as part of a program in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership. 

Collectively, the six can capture equipment grants that Ardagh and Crown have funded have catalysed the installation of equipment that will capture more than 115.5 million aluminium beverage cans each year they are operating. 

The aggregate cans captured with these six grants are worth more than $1.8 million and when recycled will result in energy savings equivalent to powering more than 5,000 U.S. homes for an entire year.

“Ardagh Metal Packaging is proud to jointly fund with Crown these grants that continue to demonstrate there is a significant opportunity for MRFs to capture millions of aluminum beverage cans each year,” said Jens Irion, CEO, AMP-North America. 

“That is why capturing missorted cans at MRFs is one of the pillars of action to make progress toward the ambitious U.S. aluminium beverage can recycling rate targets that AMP, Crown, and all CMI beverage can manufacturer and can sheet producer members have committed to achieve.”

Here’s more about the two MRFs receiving grants:

• GreenWaste in San Jose, CA, which serves 300,000 households throughout the San Jose area, will use the grant toward a second eddy current separator that will capture undersized aluminium and previously lost items from the MRF’s screening process. It expects to capture each year with this equipment 260 new tons of aluminium (17.6 million aluminium beverage cans).
• RecyclingWorks in Elkhart, IN, which reaches more than 200,000 households, will use the grant toward a robotic sorter that can be installed in a small area on the residue conveyor. It will reduce by 45 tons (3 million aluminium beverage cans) the amount of aluminum going to landfill.