Irvine Schools Win Big in Cans for Cash Challenge

1/28/2008

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has announced that the City of Irvine is a winner in their nationwide Cans for Cash: City Recycling Challenge. The program, sponsored by Novelis Inc. and Keep America Beautiful, Inc., challenged like-sized cities to compete against each other in aluminum can collection.

During the month of October, more than 50 cities participated with Irvine receiving the "Most Innovative" award and a cash prize of $5,000. The announcement came during the 76th Annual Conference of Mayors in Washington D.C. where Irvine Mayor Beth Krom eagerly accepted the award on behalf of the City.

"This award is a tribute to our community working together to promote awareness for aluminum can recycling," said Krom. "Recycling is a fundamental element of Irvine’s sustainability commitment, and we are dedicated to fostering efforts to promote the value of recycling through programs like Cans for Cash."

Irvine residents, businesses and schools gathered more than 800,000 of the combined 190 million cans collected; helping divert the release of more than 24,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions or the equivalent of taking more than 25,000 cars off the road for a year. 

Award proceeds will benefit the Irvine Public School Foundation and its commitment to expand on recycling programs for all Irvine schools. 

The aluminum can is the country’s most recycled beverage container and has been for more than 20 years. In 2006, U.S. recyclers recovered nearly 52 percent of the more than 100 billion aluminum beverage cans produced in this country. Still, more than a billion dollars worth of aluminum cans went unrecovered; highlighting the importance of programs such as Cans for Cash to raise awareness of the benefits of recycling.

For more information, visit the City of Irvine’s Public Works Environmental Programs webpage at www.cityofirvine.org or call 949-724-7522.