[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING BILL COORS AND THE ALUMINUM BEVERAGE CAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 1999

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to note an important event 
taking place forty years ago in the State of Colorado. An occurrence so 
remarkable, it forever changed industry and society worldwide. In 1959 
the Coors Brewing Company, with the initiative of Bill Coors, began 
distributing its beer in seven-ounce aluminum cans.
  By eliminating the use of steel cans and replacing them with 
aluminum, Coors Brewing Company led industry and the populace into a 
world of recycling. Consequently, they saved natural resources, 
conserved energy, reduced municipal solid waste, and established the 
infrastructure for today's curbside recycling programs. Highways and 
landfills once littered with single-use steel cans are becoming a thing 
of the past. Today, more than 70 percent of aluminum cans are recycled 
and placed back into the consumer's hands.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to pay tribute to Mr. Coors and the 
anniversary of his invention. His passion for environmentally-conscious 
business continues to set a worldwide example.

                          ____________________