The centre in Portchester replaces a smaller Alcan centre in nearby Fareham and should increase the number of cans that are recycled in the area.
Rick Hindley, Alcan aluminium can recycling operations manager, said: “We hope that the centre will result in new customers and more cans. It should be able to cope with as many cans as are collected.”
A high-profile local media advertising campaign costing 30,000 will run from May until July in a bid to encourage residents to recycle their cans during the summer months when more are sold.
Mr Hindley added: “Aluminium can recycling is good news for the environment, and it is also a really effective way to help raise extra funds for worthy causes, local schools or just to help provide extra spending money for families or boost pocket money.”
Alcan pays cash to recyclers in return for their empty aluminium drink cans. Currently this is 45p for every kilo of empty aluminium drink cans collected equivalent to approximately 65 cans.
The centre has two full-time employees, a baler and a flattener as well as a van which visits supermarket car parks throughout Hampshire collecting cans.
There are now 22 branded Alcan centres covering most of the major conurbations in the UK and Alcan is looking to locate a new depot in west London. “We have put in a proposal for a centre and are waiting for a decision. If planning permission is refused we will look somewhere else in the area, we definitely want a site in west London,” said Mr Hindley.
Alcan began operating in the Portsmouth area 11 years ago and since then over 54 million aluminium cans have been collected for recycling with 400,000 paid back to community. But over 183,000 is being thrown away in the area each year with 26.5 million empty aluminium drink cans still being discarded.
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