WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayors around the country are finding it's cool to be green, as their cities recycled more than three million pounds of aluminum beverage cans during a competition to keep aluminum out of landfills.

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Novelis, the global leader in aluminum rolled products and aluminum can recycling, along with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, are committed to increasing the nation's recycling rate with the Cans for Cash: City Recycling Challenge. Every year, cities compete in a month-long challenge to see which cities collect the most aluminum cans. During the competition held last October, 36 cities collected more than 107 million cans.

The winners of the seventh annual challenge were announced today and will be presented with their awards tomorrow during the U.S. Conference of Mayors 79th Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.

"This interactive campaign unites communities, heightens awareness of the importance of recycling, and offers citizens an avenue to recycle," said Jean-Marc Germain, Senior Vice President of Novelis and President, Novelis North America. "We hope to remind participants there is great value in recycling aluminum cans as each can that avoids the trash bin saves energy and natural resources.  Recycling just one can saves enough energy to operate a television for two hours."

Leading the way toward a greener and more sustainable future, Cans for Cash: City Recycling Challenge has collected and recycled more than 793 million aluminum cans since the challenge started in 2004.

"Right now, America recycles just over half of the aluminum cans we produce each year," said Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the United States Conference of Mayors.  "Increasing our aluminum can recycling rate doesn't just generate revenue for cities; it also saves energy and natural resources, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Through campaigns like Cans for Cash, as well as everyday efforts, America's Mayors are committed to providing the environmental stewardship it will take to have our country recycle 100 percent of the cans we produce every year."

Keep America Beautiful (KAB) President and CEO, Matthew McKenna, commented:  "KAB is dedicated to fostering public/private partnerships that engage individuals, business leaders and those in government to prevent litter and reduce waste.  Through these partnerships, our affiliates promote recycling awareness and improve access to recycling systems, uniting with their local communities to build a more sustainable future."

Awards are handed out in three categories:  Most Cans Collected, Most Innovative Campaign and Most Innovative Campaign with KAB.

The Cans for Cash challenge is designed to ensure opportunities for smaller-size cities. The Most Cans Collected category is determined by the ratio of the city population to the total pounds of cans recycled.  Cities recognized for Most Cans Collected each will receive $5,000, and are:

To spur innovation and creativity in local initiatives, four cities received $5,000 each for originality in public education and awareness campaigns.

The Cans for Cash challenge also recognized creative partnerships between cities and local affiliates of Keep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit organization focused on litter prevention, waste reduction and beautification.  The winning cities in this category each received $5,000, while the associated KAB affiliate received $2,500.

About Novelis Inc.

Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and aluminum can recycling. The company operates in 11 countries, has approximately 11,600 employees and reported revenue of $8.7 billion in fiscal year 2010. Novelis supplies premium aluminum sheet and foil products throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Novelis is a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited (BSE: HINDALCO), one of Asia's largest integrated producers of aluminum and a leading copper producer. Hindalco is a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. For additional information, visit www.novelis.com.

About The 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.  For additional information, visit www.usmayors.org.

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 over 1,200 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 The U.S. Conference of Mayors