New beer ritual: Peel your labels before recycling cans

To make the craft beer industry more sustainable, breweries are enlisting the help of their fans.

What's happening: Telluride Brewing and other Colorado beer makers are asking consumers to "peel the label" before recycling their empty cans. The message is printed prominently on the label as part of an effort to boost sustainability and limit waste.

Why it matters: Craft beer can labels are often stickers or plastic wrap that can contaminate infinitely recyclable aluminum or lead recyclers to throw cans into the landfill.

Between the lines: Colorado is famous for its role in making canned beer popular, thanks to Oskar Blues. But most craft brewers don't get their labels painted on the side because it requires bulk orders that are too costly.

• Instead, smaller brewers have turned to ordering blank aluminum cans and labeling machines that allow a variety of stickers or shrink-wrapped plastic to match their ever-changing beer production.
• Some breweries are even making the stickers collectibles.

🍻 John's quick take: Many local beer cans feature beautiful art on their cans. A friend even framed some labels from mountain-centric Outer Range Brewing to decorate her ski house.