The cans, which added up to 3 million pounds, raised $2.3 million for charities like Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross, Toys for Tots and other groups. If stacked together, the cans would have extended 8,026 miles, the council said.

Companies like Alcoa Inc., Arco Aluminum and Novelis Inc., Ball Corp., Metal Container Corp. and Rexam compete to see which facility can recycle the most aluminum cans per employee. In 2009, 30 aluminum supplier and beverage can manufacturing facilities participated in the contest.

Rexam´s Chatsworth, Calif., beverage can plant recycled a record-breaking 34 million aluminum beverage cans, or 1,010,118 pounds, to win the America Recycles Day Challenge.

Second place went to Rexam´s beverage plant in Fairfield, Calif., recycling 560,788 pounds of beverage cans. Third place honors went to Rexam´s beverage can plant in St. Paul, Minn., recycling 565,087 pounds of beverage cans.

The Novelis plant in LaGrange, Ga., bested the competition in the Mayor/Municipal Recycling Outreach Category, recycling 12,963 pounds of used beverage cans, or 1,296 pounds per employee. ARCO Aluminum, Louisville, Ky., was second, recycling 17,580 pounds, or 517 pounds per employee.

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Amanda Smith-Teutsch at 330-865-6166 or asmith-teutsch@crain.com