Record aluminum recycling rates bring UK 2020 targets within reach

18 Mar 2020 --- The UK collected 116,670 metric tons (MT) of aluminum packaging for recycling in 2019, which marks a 17 percent increase since 2018, according to figures released by the UK Environment Agency (EA). Moreover, the amount collected has surpassed government targets by more than 8,400 MT. UK recycling organization Alupro affirms that should the nation maintain this momentum, its 2020 aluminum recycling targets should come “well within reach.”

“There is more than enough capacity to recycle all the aluminum packaging sold in the UK and there is a strong demand for it. The challenge is to change consumer behavior to encourage them to recycle all types of aluminum packaging, such as cans, foil and aerosols, whether they are at home or out and about,” Rick Hindley, Executive Director at Alupro, tells PackagingInsights.

Aluminum packaging collected through kerbside, bring and on-the-go systems increased by almost 21 percent last year. This is up from 74,595 to 89,974 MT, while tonnage recovered from incinerator bottom ash also experienced an uplift from 25,546 to 26,696 MT. In total, the industry has experienced a steady increase of 11 percent since 2010, Hindley details.

Notably, provisional data from the first two months of this year highlight a year-on-year increase of 52 percent, compared to the same period in 2019, with 19,371 MT of aluminum already collected for recycling. “This, alongside a highly positive carry over, puts the industry in an excellent position to surpass this year’s targets, which again increased from 61 percent [in 2019] to 64 percent [for 2020],” Hindley forecasts.

Should the UK maintain this momentum, its 2020 aluminum recycling targets should come “well within reach.”Moreover, Hindley also notes the figures are “not surprising” given the provisional figures published in early February had already indicated that the targets would be met. “Equally, the quarterly figures which were published throughout 2019 also suggested the targets would be met,” he highlights.

MetalMatters and Every Can Counts
Equipped with these EA findings, Alupro aims to calculate the overall recycling rates for drinks cans and aluminum packaging, set to be published in April. “The 2018 drink can recycling rate was 75 percent and we anticipated a further increase in 2019,” Hindley states. With mainland Europe as a comparison, recycling rates for aluminum beverage cans in the EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland rose to a record high 74.5 percent in 2017, a 2.3 percent increase from 2016.

Moreover, Alupro states that it will continue its partnership with other stakeholders to focus on changing consumer behavior through its investment in MetalMatters and Every Can Counts programs. Both are communications programs designed to support UK recycling schemes and raise awareness. Since 2012, MetalMatters campaigns have run in 99 local authorities, directly targeting over 6.3 million households. There are 13,000 Every Can Counts branded recycling points located around the UK.

MetalMatters takes a more household-to-household approach in correct at-home metal recycling education. Meanwhile, Every Can Counts supports businesses and their waste and facilities management partners to improve their recycling rates via free collection containers, finding local recycling collectors and hosting promotional events.

Hindley concludes that Alupro is “fully supporting” the UK government’s ongoing work to reform the packaging waste recovery notes (PRN) system to design a deposit return system (DRS) for beverage packaging. The Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) recently touted Alupro in a recent PackagingInsights interview as “driving a robust response” to the current UK DRS, taking note that “what’s important is that metal packaging has a voice that is heard where it matters.”

By Anni Schleicher

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