Brasília, March 19, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - Approximately 90% of the aluminum cans sold in Brazil last year were recycled. This index won the country the title of world leader in can recycling for the third consecutive time. Brazil's leadership was confirmed in a study conducted by the Brazilian Association of Can Manufacturers (Abralatas) and the Brazilian Aluminum Association (Abal).

The recycling of cans, as well as guaranteeing 160 thousand direct and indirect jobs, also contributes to the preservation of the environment. In 2003 over 8 billion cans were reused, signifying an economy of 500 thousand tons of bauxite, the raw material of cans.

For the executive director of the Abralatas, Paulo Camilo, the expansion of the recycling industry is important, because the people who perform this service abandon the condition of individual scrap collectors and begin to work in small cooperatives, guaranteeing a greater income.

In addition to creating jobs, recycling means savings in electric energy. To reutilize a can, the amount of energy consumed is less than what it takes to produce a new one.

Translator: David Silberstein