Every Can Counts Greece (Kathe Kouti Metrai) has launched a pilot campaign in partnership with the Municipality of Antiparos to assess citizen participation and return rates within the context of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The campaign has been launched at Antiparos Island, educating people about the importance of aluminium recycling.
Simultaneously, it also functions as an educational platform, informing people about separate collecting and the vast potential of aluminium cans recycling. Two Pure Smart Crushers machines, built by the Finnish firm Pure Recycle, have been deployed on the island as part of the project's first phase.
Aluminium is a valuable material not belonging to the general waste bin. Compared to primary manufacture, aluminium cans save 95 per cent of energy costs due to their widespread recycling. Greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are reduced in kind when they are recycled. As per AL Circle's recently published report, "Global Aluminium Industry: Key Trends to 2030," global recycled aluminium utilisation was 27.1 million tonnes in 2022 and is likely to exceed 28 million tonnes in 2023.
The main goals of the project are to provide a straightforward and beneficial container return process for the local community, using a circular recycling system that aligns with the concepts of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The project began in October with the installation of two Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) and is expected to be completely operational by the summer of 2024.
Antiparos, the little island admired by movie stars from all over the globe, is now the first in the Cycladic islands to launch a pilot Can-Deposit programme. This programme establishes a designated recycling site where both residents and visitors may swap their empty drink cans for incentives while also donating to a charity cause.
"Every Can Counts is a significant programme with a real communicative impact. This collaboration aims to establish a DRS trial for collecting and recycling aluminium cans. Our goal is to encourage the segregated collection of materials and give back to our community using recycling proceeds for public benefit," said Artemis Triantafyllos, deputy mayor of Antiparos.
"We are thrilled to see the initial steps taken toward realising the dream of recycling every can on Antiparos. The local community has shown a strong commitment to environmental protection and appears enthusiastic about embracing a more sustainable lifestyle in line with the principles of the circular economy. With this trial, we aim to introduce the DRS concept to the people on the island and increase can recycling rates on Antiparos, bringing us closer to our vision of achieving 100% aluminium can recycling," added Eirini Topouzidou, programme manager of Every Can Counts (ECC) Greece.
The primary idea behind this flexible recycling system is to compress different amounts of cans in a way that results in savings and increased capacity across the reverse logistics chain. For relatively isolated places like Antiparos, this new development is ideal. Residents of all ages came to Antiparos on October 14 to participate in the soft launch celebration. They not only learnt about the project, but they also used the newly installed recycling machines to swap their drink cans for environmentally friendly incentives.
The event served as a forum for open discussions, with key participants including Antiparos Mayor Anastasios Faroupos, Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs Artemis Triantafyllos, Eirini Topouzidou, Every Can Counts for Greece programme manager, and Kari Almen, founder and chief operating officer of Pure Recycle Oy. The number of recycled cans and the resulting reduction in CO2 emissions on the island will be communicated to residents in real-time. This method can tell you all you need to know about the recyclables you've gathered, including the barcode, size, weight, and substance. This scheme will ensure a closed-loop recycling process by sending all aluminium cans recovered to ELVAL, the Hellenic aluminium industry.
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