The UK’s aluminium packaging recycling rate hit an impressive 68% in 2023: Tom Giddings, CEO, Alupro

AL Circle: Can you briefly overview Alupro's mission and objectives. How does Alupro contribute to promoting aluminium recycling in the UK? 

Tom Giddings: Our key objective is to act as the voice of the aluminium packaging value chain to ensure the views of private organisations are heard by the government as we work to increase recycling rates, provide valuable insights, and improve the rules and infrastructure around recycling to ensure aluminium packaging can fulfil its gold-standard potential for the circular economy.

As part of our work, we lobby the government on behalf of our members, encouraging positive changes to legislation and the wider industry in the best interests of aluminium packaging. Alongside this, we also take part in steering groups presenting the thoughts and insights from across the value chain to key stakeholders.

To bridge the gap and effectively bring the entire process full circle, we take government feedback back to private organisations. The relationship between the value chain and government, at any level, is hugely important in driving positive change for the aluminium recycling industry, so it's crucial that we're able to provide that connection.

AL Circle: In what capacity does Alupro contribute to the waste and recycling industry? What are the primary initiatives Alupro is currently undertaking to promote aluminium recycling?

Tom Giddings: We work hard to maximise aluminium packaging recycling rates by improving consumer education and awareness, as well as running targeted campaigns to drive collection volumes and minimise contamination. Thanks, in part, to this activity, the UK’s aluminium packaging recycling volumes continue to grow.

Throughout the year we run a wide variety of initiatives to promote aluminium packaging recycling. Every Can Counts, as an example, is one of our most successful programmes. With the aim of tackling on-the-go beverage can recycling, our teams pop up at key events nationwide to spread positive messages and encourage behavioural change.

Elsewhere, we regularly run campaigns specifically targeting school pupils, as we believe that engaging early is key to driving long-term behavioural change. Our Masters of Infinity and Bin-fluencers programmes suggest engaging ways to integrate recycling into the national curriculum while offering prizes and class experiences as an incentive to interact.

AL Circle: How does Alupro collaborate with local authorities and waste management companies to enhance the aluminium recycling infrastructure? Can you discuss any recent projects or partnerships?

Tom Giddings: We work closely with local authorities across the UK, particularly through our MetalMatters consumer engagement programme. Launched in 2012, the programme uses direct communications tactics to improve understanding, secure widespread buy-in and foster positive behavioural change.

The initiative employs a range of communication tools, both traditional and digital, tailored to suit a specific demographic or region. From leaflet drops and impactful outdoor advertising campaigns to vehicle signage, radio broadcasts and even targeted paid social media outreach, MetalMatters adopts a multi-pronged approach to maximise impact.

Over the course of more than a decade, MetalMatters has significantly impacted metal packaging recycling rates. To date, 119 local authorities and waste partnerships across the UK have partnered with MetalMatters to roll out the campaign within their local community, successfully reaching more than seven million households.

Recently, we rolled out the programme across Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Fenland District Council, Huntingdon District Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council and Peterborough City Council under the RECAP banner. The campaign targeted 372,000 households through a variety of communication tactics to engage the public and encourage better recycling habits.

Alongside a series of creative advertisement placements on buses and wider campaign promotion on local radio stations, we implemented a hard-hitting paid social media campaign featuring an interactive animated video and a suite of wider promotional graphics.

AL Circle: How does Alupro anticipate the Government's Environment Bill affecting UK aluminium packaging recycling?

Tom Giddings: For us, the Environment Bill acts to enable legislative change – in particular when it comes to the national roll out of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reform and the implementation of Simpler Recycling.

In terms of how these three schemes could affect aluminium packaging recycling, it’s currently a mixed picture with no clear answers. Done well, we could see widespread positive change. Done badly and we may experience a plethora of negative consequences.

Firstly, it’s fair to say that Simpler Recycling is a hugely positive step forward. The legislation clarifies a complicated situation and closes collection loopholes, so all aluminium packaging will be collected for recycling across England. This could see recycling volumes soar.

The EPR system, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired. Details remain unanswered, particularly when it comes to aluminium’s costs vs other materials. That said, done right, EPR should drive up recycling rates for in-scope items, but we’ll need to see other measures imposed (such as the funds paid through EPR being ringfenced to improve recycling and statutory targets for councils) to make the most of this change.

When it comes to DRS, the picture becomes even more cloudy. DRS has the potential to take us further forward towards achieving a 100% recycling rate for aluminium packaging and supplement kerbside recycling collections. However, several parameters must be considered, and some clear decisions must be made. You can read more about our calls here.

AL Circle: How does Alupro engage with its members to drive sustainability and innovation within the aluminium packaging industry?

Tom Giddings: First of all, it’s important to say that Alupro’s membership represents the entire aluminium packaging supply chain. Our position is, therefore, completely unique and enables us to see the supply chain from every angle.

In terms of engaging with members, we facilitate numerous engagement forums that allow us to understand the challenges and opportunities facing our members. From here, we lobby the government for specific legislative change and we work with our members on joint initiatives to drive measurable change.

This full-circle approach of listening, actioning and measuring helps us to drive sustainability and innovation.

AL Circle: What is Alupro's vision for the future of aluminium recycling in the UK?

Tom Giddings: According to annual data published on the National Packaging Waste Database by the Environment Agency, the UK’s aluminium packaging recycling rate hit an impressive 68% in 2023. A record-breaking 162,357 tonnes were recycled nationwide, including more than four in five beverage cans (81%).

As an industry, we’ve been investing heavily in optimising our collection and recycling infrastructure for the past 20 years, and we’re now reaping the rewards of this long-term commitment. Despite ongoing delays and uncertainty surrounding proposed changes to national recycling legislation, the sector continues to deliver over and above annual targets.  

It's, therefore, safe to say that the UK is on a robust path to further improvement and, with better infrastructure, education, and incentives, could reach the levels seen in some of the world’s most high-performing countries.

For example, with an end-of-life collection rate of almost 99% (2021), Brazil sets the standards in aluminium can recycling, as well as being the world's third-largest market by volume. Why isn’t it possible in the UK if it's possible in Brazil? After all, at Alupro, our vision has always been to achieve a 100% recycling rate for aluminium packaging in the UK.

AL Circle: What are the key challenges and opportunities Alupro foresees in achieving a world-class aluminium recycling system?

Tom Giddings: When it comes to addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s aluminium recycling system, we recently published a manifesto on behalf of our members. You can read it here.

To summarise, we believe that addressing the following points are essential to achieving a world-class system:

• Firstly, we need to adopt a DRS system with a variable rate of deposit that offers fairness and equality between material types
• Next, we need to ensure a Simpler Recycling system that maximises both the quantity and quality of material collected at the kerbside (one without the other would be a missed opportunity)
• Finally, we need an EPR system that drives an uplift in local authority recycling rates. Currently, the system only pays them rather than holding their teams to account

All of the above need to be underpinned by awareness and educational initiatives to drive positive behaviours and maximise potential outcomes. While legislation is valuable in guiding the framework, communication is essential to make it ‘stick’.

This is where investment should be prioritised. We need to address perceptions and behaviours to drive long-term change. Simply injecting money into improving the system has its limitations.

AL Circle: How does Alupro educate and communicate the benefits of aluminium recycling to residents and stakeholders?

Tom Giddings: Alongside our consumer awareness campaigns, such as MetalMatters and Every Can Counts, we work hard to proactively reach stakeholders through a number of different channels. For example, we’re regularly profiled in the press (be that newspapers, magazines, websites or radio interviews), sharing our news, views, thoughts and expert guidance. We also run a number of successful social media campaigns to increase awareness around important trigger dates (Christmas, Easter, key sporting events, etc.).

We also regularly publish reports, white papers, manifesto documents, consumer-facing resources, and advice on our Learning Aluminium website. This, alongside proactively taking messages and campaigns directly to the audience, helps us stay front and centre of the conversation.

AL Circle: In what ways does Alupro contribute to the global conversation on sustainable materials management and recycling practices?

Tom Giddings: We believe that knowledge sharing and learning from best practices is hugely important to accelerate progress. As such, we work with international colleagues such as the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) to share insights and learnings from their projects and from ours. This transatlantic partnership is hugely valuable – both ways!

Elsewhere, we’re working on a global project with representatives from across the aluminium supply chain to ensure that our global industry is telling the best, most authentic story possible about the assets of aluminium. We not only kick-started the project, but we also sat on the steering group. Initiatives like this further improve processes, information, knowledge and best practice.