The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inducted Anheuser-Busch into the WasteWise Hall of Fame for its longstanding commitment to waste reduction and recycling programs at its facilities.

“We are honored to be elected to the WasteWise Hall of Fame,” Doug Muhleman, group vice president, Brewing Operations and Technology, said at the WasteWise conference in Washington, D.C.

Since joining WasteWise as a charter member in 1994, Anheuser-Busch has received six WasteWise awards, including the 2004 WasteWise Partner of the Year. In addition, the company has achieved a recycling rate of more than 97%, while at the same time reducing landfill waste by 45%. The company also:

– Decreased the amount of paperboard used to produce its packaging by almost 21 million pounds since 2002.
– Is in the process of reducing its lid diameter, which is expected to save 20 million pounds of aluminum annually when fully implemented in 2006.
– Reported Anheuser-Busch Recycling Corporation, the company’s recycling subsidiary, recycled 804 million pounds of aluminum beverage containers in 2004.