Tata Steel and LARAC partner to raise steel recycling knowledge in the UK

22 May 2023 --- Tata Steel, one of the world’s largest steel producers and one of the UK’s leading steel re-processors has teamed up with the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) to increase awareness about the importance of steel recycling.

The partnership will inform consumers which types of steel packaging can be recycled and which can not. Stainless steel cutlery and reusable flasks, for example, should not find a home in recycling bins whereas aerosols, jar lids, bottle tops, food and drink cans and biscuit tins should. 

Commenting on the partnership, Nicola Jones, manager for steel packaging recycling at Tata Steel, says, “our partnership with LARAC marks a major step forwards for our campaign to educate consumers and local authorities nationwide about the incredible power of steel packaging recycling.”

“Consumers’ recycling habits can determine the quality of the bales we receive for melting. If they adopt the right recycling habits – putting the right items in recycling bins – bale quality is high, which leads to higher recycling rates,” she continues.

Stainless steel cutlery and reusable flasks should not be placed in recycling bins while aerosols, jar lids, bottle tops, food and drink cans should. Long-term ambitions 
Jones says Tata Steel’s partnership with LARAC will help increase the visibility of related issues and solutions at the grassroots level via local authorities. “We won’t see the results immediately, but over time, together, we will make a meaningful, positive impact.”

As one of LARAC’s key partners, Tata Steel will highlight its easily-accessible collection and recycling infrastructure in the UK to the 311 local authorities that it represents across the UK. 

Due to its conferences, webinars and supporting materials such as blog articles, bi-monthly emails and educational materials, Tata Steel can communicate such messaging directly with the largest membership of waste and recycling officers across the UK. 

Through its collaboration with LARAC, Tata Steel will also help to promote Metal Matters, the communications program that helps local authorities to educate householders about metal packaging recycling and to motivate them to boost their recycling habits. 

Earlier this year, Tata Steel sponsored the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management’s (CIWM) Resources Conference CYMRU on March 22, at the Glamorgan Cricket Club in Cardiff, Wales.

“Steel is a vital packaging material keeping our food safe and fresh, and it reduces food waste. It is also an infinitely recyclable permanent material in our steel-making process. Steel is a truly circular material from any application such as buildings, cars and packaging,” Jones told PackagingInsights.

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim