Britons push for government action as UK aluminium recycling loses ground

A majority of people in the UK want the government to step in and support aluminium recycling, with concerns growing that too much of the material is being lost instead of reused domestically.

A poll commissioned by Alupro and carried out by Yonder Consulting surveyed around 2,000 adults and found widespread support for action across the country.

Support was strongest in Northern Ireland at 86 per cent, followed by Wales (81 per cent) and Scotland (75 per cent). In England, backing peaked in the East and South West regions, where 82 per cent of respondents said the government should encourage more secondary aluminium supply for domestic use. At the same time, about 58 per cent of those surveyed said they are concerned that the UK is losing too much aluminium.

The aluminium sector in itself is a major player in the industry, supporting around 108,000 jobs and contributing to a GBP of 9.4 billion (USD 12.63 billion). A major portion of that comes from recycling, especially packaging like drink cans and aerosols, which can be reused repeatedly without any loss in quality.

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But industry players say the system is under pressure. Rising global trade tensions, including US tariffs and heavy subsidies in parts of Asia, are distorting prices and making it harder for UK recyclers to compete for scrap.

According to Alupro, this has led to more aluminium waste being exported rather than processed locally, which in turn weakens the return on investment from domestic recycling initiatives such as deposit return schemes and simplified collection systems.

The contrast with Europe is becoming clearer. The EU has already taken steps to limit the export of secondary aluminium, while the UK has yet to introduce similar measures.

Tom Giddings said, “This poll shows that Britons believe it is very important for the UK to make the most of its resources.”

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He added that while some types of scrap require processing capabilities not currently available in the region, packaging waste is a different case. “We have a fantastic industrial recycling capacity as well as huge demand for packaging produced from secondary material.”

Giddings also pointed to policy tools like deposit return schemes (DRS) as a potential boost. “Aluminium is of huge strategic importance to the UK economy, and it’s vital that the UK government takes action to encourage more aluminium scrap to be available for companies supplying the UK market. 

In particular, the DRS for drinks containers could supercharge UK aluminium recycling by further boosting drinks can recycling rates; we must ensure these collected cans find their way back into the regional circular economy to make the most of this fantastic opportunity.”

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