Brazil sets new can recycling world record

South America – Brazil managed a 98.4% recycling rate for aluminium cans last year, according to latest figures from the Brazilian Aluminium Association (ABAL) and the Brazilian Association of Highly Recyclable Cans Manufacturers (ABRALATAS). This new ‘world record’ maintains Brazil as the global can recycling leader – a position it has held since 2001.

Brazil recycled a total of 289 500 tonnes of aluminium beverage cans out of the 294 200 tonnes available on the market in 2014 for an increase of 12.5% over the previous year. According to ABAL, collection of aluminium beverage cans injected R$ 845 million into the country’s economy last year and made energy savings of 4250 GWh – a figure that corresponds to the annual consumption of 6.6 million people in 2 million homes.

‘For over 10 years, we have been the country with the highest rate of aluminium cans recycling worldwide, sustaining a performance of over 90%,’ says ABAL’s recycling market committee co-ordinator Mario Fernandez. This demonstrates the level of both maturity and structure within the Brazilian recycling market, it is added.

Elsewhere by comparison, 2014 aluminium can recycling rates were 87.4% for Japan, roughly 70% for Europe and 66.5% for the United Arab Emirates.