Since the 1970s, soda and beer cans have been the public face of recycling efforts nationwide, but typically on the end user side of the aisle. You buy a six-pack of sodas or brews, empty the cans over a party with friends, and then chuck them into the recycling bin. Conroe-based cannery Crown Cork & Seal wants to make sure this is happening at public events, too.
The company was originally formed in 1892 in Baltimore, Maryland, as William Painter invented the crown cork – which went on top of the bottle to seal it. Through years of expansions and acquisitions, Crown Cork & Seal is now the second-largest aluminum beverage can manufacturer in the world.
Darwin Canales, Quality Manager for Crown Cork & Seal here in Conroe, started his career at CC&S ten years ago, shortly after graduating college. Today, he is co-leading a significant recycling project at his facility.
“The corporate offices have a program called Twentyby30 – a plan to reduce waste by 20 percent by 2030. Our plant – along with the others – were challenged by corporate; ‘All right, what are you going to do to help with some of these things concerning recycling and sustainability?’ and we answered that challenge,” he said.
The local program kicked in when Steve Hall, the office’s previous plant manager, wanted to see a recycling program set up at the Montgomery County Fair, one of the largest events in the county. In 2022, the first year of the program, CC&S supplied ten containers and collected 2,000 cans during the Fair. Darwin and his Quality Engineer, Brent Jones, built it out from that, and at the 2023 Fair, they ended up collecting 60,000 cans, thirty times what they got the year before.
“Besides the containers, we had an informational tent that educated people about recycling through the use of games. Now, the fair is a ten-day event, and it speaks volumes about our office that we ended up with 30 people from all departments who came out to volunteer for multiple shifts,” said Canales. “I really appreciate our partnership with the Montgomery County Fair Association and others; Golf Carts of Conroe also lent us a golf cart, for instance, and multiple other partners.”
Another large event where CC&S had a recycling presence was the Conroe Catfish Festival. “While not as big as the Fair, we still collected thousands of cans and realized we could have more and more events where we could grow our education outreach. We’ve grown a lot in this infancy of the first year and a half of the project, and we want to see it grow a lot more,” said Canales.
By 2030, the (Twentyby30) program is to achieve a 50 percent reduction in fuel and electricity emissions, use 75 percent renewable energy, reduce water usage in operations by at least 25 percent, send zero waste from their operations to landfills, making all aluminum and steel cans 10 percent lighter (reducing packaging materials as well), and ensure that of Crown’s core raw materials and service suppliers, by spend, are assessed and comply with Crown Responsible and Ethical Sourcing policies and requirements.
“At the end of the day, we’re still remaking the cans from the recycled raw materials, so we don’t lose any momentum with our business, but we’re having a greater, more positive impact on the environment. Recycling efforts like ours are substantially decreasing the effects of mining for the raw materials from the earth,” said Canales.
“This is an initiative we’re proud to have our names on. It’s more than just having bins; it’s getting people in the mindset to recycle at home or at your business, especially if you’re a can-heavy business like a local bar. It would be so nice to see that recycling has taken hold in the entire community. Not having to ruin the planet? That’s what it’s all about.”
"It would be so nice to see that recycling has taken hold in the entire community."
