A MAJOR STEP TOWARDS OPTIMAL RECOVERY OF ALUMINIUM CANS
The Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC) and its members, Canada’s largest producers of primary aluminium — Alcoa, Aluminerie Alouette Inc. and Rio Tinto Alcan — are very pleased with the announcement made by Quebec’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks about proposed measures to improve the current deposit-refund system for aluminium beverage cans.
According to AAC president and CEO Jean Simard, “Optimizing the recovery of aluminium containers is at the heart of the aluminium industry’s life-cycle approach. It is also aligned with the industry’s global efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling cans only uses 5% of the energy required for primary aluminium production.”
The deposit has not changed for close to 25 years, and the proposed increase is more than reasonable. According to information available for other Canadian provinces, aluminium-can recovery has risen substantially since the deposit was increased from $0.05 to $0.10.
Recently published information on the astronomical quantity of unrecovered beverage cans and the resulting loss for Quebec society (close to $20 million) clearly supports the new approach announced by the Minister. The AAC and its members are pleased with the integration of the new social project Les Volontaristes into Quebec’s deposit-recovery program. This concrete action confirms Quebec’s commitment to its sustainable development approach.
About the Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC)
The Aluminium Association of Canada groups together Canada’s three largest producers of aluminium. These companies operate ten aluminium smelters in Canada, nine of which are in Quebec, and employ more than 10,000 people.