Aluminum more recyclable than plastic

OPINION:

Richard Berman takes a number of gratuitous and false swipes at aluminum beverage cans in his recent op-ed (“Can U.N. solve a pollution problem?” web, June 10).

While we agree with Mr. Berman’s conclusion that we can and should do a much better job of recycling all materials, he is way off base in several of his claims.

As consumers have gotten smarter about the packages they buy, plastic bottles have lost market share. And it takes a lot of disinformation to reverse the environmentally sound decisions individuals are making. But just to set the record straight, here are a few facts:

• Aluminum cans are recycled at more than twice the rate of plastic bottles in the United States (and even more so globally).

• While the average can contains around 73% recycled content, the average plastic bottle contains at most 10%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

• Accounting for total carbon emissions in a product is a tricky business, but most reputable studies show that aluminum cans and plastic bottles are about on par in terms of life-cycle carbon impact.

• Perhaps most importantly, aluminum can be recycled over and over again in an infinite loop.

So an aluminum beverage can becomes another can in as few as 60 days. No such luck with plastic, which is typically “downcycled” into a new product just once. That’s assuming it doesn’t end up in the landfill — or the ocean. 

CHARLES JOHNSON

President and CEO, The Aluminum Association

Arlington, Virginia