Artman Corporation recycling drive plans to collect 5 million aluminium cans by August

The Zero Waste Task Force and the Office of Grants Management launched a recycling drive at the Artman Corporation plant in Lower Base on April 1, 2023, which resulted in the redemption of over a million aluminium cans.

"Since the inception of the initiative…the Recycling Redemption Initiative has received 1,033,227 aluminum cans," said Grants Specialist and Recycling Redemption Initiative Coordinator Maria Flor Deleon Guerrero.

Deleon Guerrero stated that this amounts to $51,661.35 in total customer reimbursements at five cents per aluminium can, or 20.66 per cent of the overall 5 million cans recycling goal by Aug. 31, 2023. The United States Department of the Interior supports the programme under Grant No. D18AP00165. 

Aluminium recycling reduces carbon emissions significantly compared to original aluminium manufacturing. As a non-ferrous metal, aluminium may be recycled indefinitely without degrading quality. That's why many big names in business are working on efficient methods of recycling aluminium for reuse.

She stated that the Office of Grants Management and the Zero Waste Task Force are delighted with the public's engagement.

"We've heard from government officials that participants are picking up cans at beaches, remote areas, and unusually frequented locations." She said that Artman has received numerous burnt, partly covered by sand, or crushed cans.

"For the islands of Tinian and Rota, we are near to finalizing the redemption program. We are just waiting for the quotations to come in from potential vendors. The program will probably run for one week a month, starting May to August, on Tinian and Rota and this will change depending on the volume of redemption," added Deleon Guerrero.

Overall, she said that the Office of Grants Management expects more public engagement and hopes that "we all continue to do our part in protecting the environment and our diverse island landscapes." The recycling programme, which enables residents to recycle aluminium cans in return for cash, will be accessible until August 31, 2023.