Aluminium can recycling reaches 70% milestone, Alupro reports

The European metal packaging sector reached a major milestone by hitting 70 per cent aluminium can recycling rate in 2016. In the UK alone, seven out of ten aluminium beverage cans were reportedly recycled in the past year, the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) data showed.

Commenting on the progress, Alupro executive director Rick Hindley said, “The continued growth is due to the support of our members and partners in the wider industry and their commitment to invest in and support our programmes to drive positive, lasting behaviour change among consumers.”

The UK is the largest beverage can market in Europe. In 2016, beverage cans made up most of the 180,000 tonnes of aluminium packaging produced and sold in the market.

With the 70 per cent aluminium can recycling rate milestone reached, European metal packaging sector marched closer to its 80 per cent metal packaging recycling rate by 2025.

{googleAdsense}

Notwithstanding the achievement, Alupro is concerned with the lacklustre target set by the government for metal packaging recycling. The organization has been lobbying for a more ambitious target and has demanded an immediate reform to the Packaging Recovery Note system.

“We remain convinced that future growth in aluminium recycling performance is achievable within the current system, subject to a few revisions which will ensure all recycling is accurately reported and that behaviour change programmes are properly funded on a fair and equitable basis,” Alupro said in its latest report.

“Alupro believes that communication is the missing link between the collection infrastructure and recycling growth, as has been proved over and again by industry-funded programmes like MetalMatters and Every Can Counts, " it added.