U.S. Cities to Compete in "Cans for Cash - City Recycling Challenge"
WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Novelis (NYSE, TSX: NVL) have teamed up with Keep America Beautiful, Inc. (KAB) to expand their annual, national contest "Cans for Cash - City Recycling Challenge." Officially launched at the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in June, the 2006 City Recycling Challenge now offers a total of twelve (12) $5,000 awards for municipalities and four (4) $2,500 awards for KAB affiliates.
More than 100 cities have participated in the Cans for Cash Challenge over the past two years, resulting in the collection and recycling of more than 160 million aluminum cans, recovering more than $2.5 million in aluminum value and diverting nearly 5 million pounds of material from landfills.
"Participation in the 'Cans for Cash City Recycling Challenge' helps increase awareness of recycling and reminds everyone to recycle aluminum cans which could bring extra 'Challenge' dollars into your city," said Mayor and President of The United States Conference of Mayors, Michael A. Guido. "We look forward to seeing once again what cities can do to promote recycling in their communities."
This year's campaign will run from September 15 through September 30, 2006. The contest is divided into four divisions based on a city's population, and awards are given in three recycling categories: Most Cans Collected; Most innovative idea; and Partnering with a local KAB affiliate, a new category to encourage innovative and sustainable recycling initiatives. Cities are eligible to participate in only one innovation category.
"As North America's leader in aluminum can recycling, Novelis is pleased to partner with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Keep America Beautiful to increase awareness of the value of aluminum recycling," stated Kevin Greenawalt, President of Novelis Corporation. "We're pleased that aluminum can recycling rates are increasing and we encourage cities to keep recycling."
The winners will be announced on America Recycles Day, November 15, 2006. The day is designed to create and maintain national awareness for recycling and its benefits.
"Keep America Beautiful is pleased to be working with Novelis and The U.S. Conference of Mayors in this exciting and innovative project," said G. Raymond Empson, president of Keep America Beautiful. "KAB Affiliates work closely with their local governments to improve the quality of life for their residents. They are often tapped to be the educational arm of community recycling programs and have had a positive influence on increasing recycling rates and awareness through their efforts."
Registration is free and open to interested cities. For further information about the City Recycling Challenge, please visit the website or contact Susan Jarvis, the U.S. Conference of Mayors at 202-861-6760. Register online at www.usmayors.org/mwma by August 31, 2006.
About U.S. Conference of Mayors
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.
About Novelis
Novelis is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and aluminum can recycling. The company operates in 11 countries and has approximately 13,000 employees. Novelis has the unrivaled capability to provide its customers with a regional supply of technologically sophisticated rolled aluminum products throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Through its advanced production capabilities, the company supplies aluminum sheet and foil to the automotive and transportation, beverage and food packaging, construction and industrial, and printing markets. For more information on the company, visit www.novelis.com or aluminum can recycling visit www.recycle.novelis.com.
About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of nearly 1,000 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For additional information, visit www.kab.org.
SOURCE Novelis
CONTACT: Susan Jarvis of The U.S. Conference of Mayors, +1-202-861-6760;
or Pat Persico of Novelis Corporation, +1-440-423-6522;
or Larry Kaufman of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., +1-203-323-8987, ext. 817