Alcoa dedicated a $24 million expansion of aluminum-can recycling capacity at its Tennessee Operations, which will increase recycling capability by nearly 50% and help secure more than 100 jobs at the facility. The new Tennessee Operations Can Reclamation facility includes a new crusher and delacquering furnace and supporting building enclosures, utilities and environmental systems. These improvements will help increase capacity using state-of-the-art environmental and fuel-efficient technology as well as support future flexibility to process other scrap types.

The expansion coincides with a goal to boost the current 54% rate of recycling beverage cans in the U.S. to 75% by 2015. According to Alcoa, recycling an aluminum can saves 95% of the energy it takes to make one from new metal. A used beverage container can be recycled and back on the shelf in 60 days.