By Susan Jarvis
December 20, 2006

The United States Conference of Mayors, Novelis, Inc. and Keep America Beautiful, Inc. announced the winners of the 2006 Cans for Cash City Recycling Challenge on November 15, America Recycles Day. For the third year, the program challenged like'sized cities to compete against each other in aluminum can collection for monetary awards and to encourage recycling. During two weeks in September, more than 30 cities collected over 2.4 million pounds of aluminum cans which equates to over 82 million used beverage cans.

“Friendly, spirited competitions like the City Recycling Challenge bring city officials, communities and schools together to help promote recycling,” said Novelis North America President Kevin Greenawalt. “Working together, the goal is to foster efforts to promote the value of aluminum can recycling and help cities sustain their local efforts.”

“We are proud that our Cans for Cash Program helped jump'start existing programs and redirected many communities to focus on a common goal,” said Conference of Mayors President Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido. “Mayors leveraged their relationships with community and civic organizations, partnered with schools, and linked the can recycling challenge with community improvement and service projects. Participating cities should be excited and proud that they contributed to the recycling of more than two million pounds of aluminum cans.”

The winners of the $5,000 awards for the most aluminum cans recycled are:

• Division One (population 250,000-) Milwaukee (WI)* - 1,147,084 pounds, Mayor Tom Barrett;

• Division Two (population 100,00-249,999) Fontana (CA) - 213,515 pounds, Mayor Mark Nuami;

• Division Three (population 50,000-99,999) Bowling Green (KY) - 78,310 pounds, Mayor Elaine Walker; and

• Division Four (population below 50,000) Richmond (IN) - 29,670 pounds, Mayor Sally Hutton. (* denotes 2005 Winner in Division Category)

To help mayors engage their communities in recycling and raise awareness about its importance over the long term, cities submitted innovative education and marketing ideas for an additional $5,000 award. The cities being recognized for the most innovative campaigns are as follows:

• Division One: Lexington (KY) Mayor Teresa Ann Isaac

• Division Two: Tallahassee (FL) Mayor John Marks

• Division Three: Bowling Green (KY) Mayor Elaine Walker

• Division Four: Columbus (IN) Mayor Fred Armstrong

Winning cities that partnered with their local Keep America Beautiful, Inc. affiliate will be awarded $5,000 and $2,500 respectively:

• Division One: Louisville (KY) Mayor Jerry E. Abramson

• Division Four: Tupelo (MS) Mayor Ed Neely

“It is fitting that Keep America Beautiful affiliates – Brightside in Louisville (KY) and Keep Tupelo Beautiful in Tupelo (MS) – were recognized on America Recycles Day for rallying citizens to recycle aluminum cans,” said Keep America Beautiful President G. Raymond Empson. “Our affiliates across the country partner with government, business, and other organizations to encourage recycling, reduce waste and prevent litter. We were pleased to partner with Novelis and The U.S. Conference of Mayors, and to increase aluminum recycling rates through this important public education initiative.”

The aluminum can is the country’s most recycled beverage container and has been for more than 20 years. In 2005, more than 100 billion aluminum beverage cans were produced in the United States and 52 percent of them were recycled (a one percent increase over the previous year). Nearly the same amount – close to 50 billion cans or roughly $1.5 billion worth of aluminum – was lost to landfill.

Winning cities will also be recognized at The U.S. Conference of Mayor’s Winter Meeting in January.