Hanley Sustainability Institute
HSI Director: Aluminum cup concept 'very attractive'
By Mark Gokavi
One United States business says it has an eco-friendly alternative to the red plastic cup that is "infinitely recyclable and economically valuable."
Ball Corporation recently rolled out aluminum cups at University of Colorado-Boulder sports events. The Colorado-based company says aluminum cans have a global recycling rate of 69 percent, making them the world's most recycled beverage container.
Like the University of Dayton, CU has earned a Gold STARS rating through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
Hanley Sustainability Institute Executive Director Ben McCall said single-use plastics are a huge environmental problem.
"Plastic cups in particular are not economically recyclable in many markets, including here in Dayton," McCall said, "and therefore end up in a landfill after a single use."
Ball says aluminum can be recycled an infinite number of times without losing quality and can be back in a consumer's hands in as few as 60 days. The company said 75 percent of aluminum ever produced is in use today and that 78 percent of consumers expect beverage brands to use environmentally friendly containers in the next five years.
"The concept of an easily recyclable cup is a very attractive one," McCall said, "although a full life cycle analysis is needed to determine whether Ball's aluminum cups are more environmentally preferable on the whole."