Litter, particularly from discarded food and beverage packaging, is a major contributor to unhealthy infestations and urban decline.

From 1993 to 2008, approximately 800 000 tons of used cans have been recovered in southern Africa. Apart from the huge amount of landfill that has been saved, the living environment of all Southern Africans has been improved substantially.
   

Recycling protects the environment by:

• Reducing the use of raw materials
• Reducing the impact of landfill on the environment
• Reducing air pollution, less iron-ore and oxygen that generates CO2 is used
• Reduction in energy because less energy is required to use recovered cans than to produce steel from virgin materials
• The reduction of unsightly and unhealthy litter - particularly in pristine areas and living environments.

Waste Management and Global Warming

Collect-a-Can’s efforts in the recovery of steel beverage cans help municipalities, who are feeling the brunt of financial infrastructure and space pressures, to reduce the volume for landfill sites – thereby also benefiting the tax payer.

Litter is substantially reduced because used cans are recovered from public places and roads. Previous estimates indicate that can litter has been reduced from 8% of all litter to less than 1%

Collect-a-Can not only encourages the recycling of cans, but also strives for all waste management and recycling from source.