The Environment and Recycling Position Paper – June 2007
The can manufacturing industry has been communicating about the significant
environmental benefits of using aluminium and steel cans for drinks packaging
for many years now. This year we are encouraged to see an unprecedented upsurge
in media and public interest in protecting the environment. We are pleased to outline
the positive environmental credentials of drinks cans today.
Properties
First the drinks can has several inherent properties which make it ideal for recycling.
- All drinks cans are recyclable – both aluminium and steel.
- Both materials can be recycled an infinite number of times without loss of their essential properties.
- The recycled metal from drinks cans is a truly renewable material, retaining the same
characteristic as the original material. This is in stark contrast to other packaging
materials – paper, board and plastics – where recycled material is a lower quality having
lost some of its original properties.
Infrastructure
More good news for keen environmentalists, retailers and drinks manufacturers is the ease with which the process of recycling materials from drinks cans
takes place.
- The metals industry has the capacity to take back all the cans that are
collected, indeed the UK has five major established reprocessing facilities in operation.
- There is no limit on the amount of material which can be reused.
- Furthermore recycling is easy with a wide range and variety of well
established schemes in place to recover used cans.
Targets
The short term EU and Government target for recycling of all metals is to reach 50% by 2008.
In fact DEFRA recently reported that this target was exceeded in 2006, with 54% of all metals
recycled, compared with 47% in 2005. The 2006 figures for steel recycling were 57.3% and for
aluminium 32.5%. The aluminium drinks can recycling rate was 48%. Overall 438,160 tonnes of
metal packaging was collected for recycling in the UK in 2006. (DEFRA)
The high scrap value of metal packaging means that it makes a positive contribution to the cost of operating collection schemes.
Overall Environmental Considerations
In terms of sustainability, the story of cans is doubly positive in terms of both availability of raw materials and environmental impact.
- Bauxite and iron are the 3rd and 4th most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust.
- Even without anticipated improvements in recycling, the known sources of iron and bauxite could cover up to 700 years consumption at current rates.
- Recycling metals saves 80% of the energy required to produce steel from virgin materials and 95% of the energy required to produce primary smelted aluminium.
Past successes, future hope
Over the past 25 years a huge amount has been achieved in recycling drinks cans.
- 150% increase in the can recycling rate (EU average)
- 45% reduction in the weight of beverage cans (EU average)
- 20% reduction in the tonnage of virgin materials required
- 50% reduction in net energy consumption
- 60% reduction in net CO2 emissions
The arguments for using cans in drinks packaging are overwhelming and with the inherent benefits outlined here
and such a strong environmental heritage, the future looks promising.
- Kerbside collection, is expanding rapidly as consumers respond to local authority promotion and schemes. 90% of UK households now have access to the kerbside collection of metal packaging
- ‘Bring schemes’ in town centres, supermarkets, car parks and many other local arrangements enable consumers to recycle drinks cans
- Magnetic extraction and other techniques enable cans to be separated from the post-consumer waste stream
Recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to:
- Run a TV for two hours
- Run a computer for three hours
- Run a 100 watt light bulb for 20 hours
The energy saving by recycling packaging steel from one household for a year is sufficient to:
- Boil a kettle over 300 times
- Power a car for 100 km
- Run a fridge freezer for over a month
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For more information on aluminium can recycling
Alupro
1 Brockhill Court
Brockhill Lane
Redditch B97 6RB
Tel. 01527 597757
Fax. 01527 594140
For more information on steel can recycling
Steel Can Recycling Information Bureau (SCRIB)
c/o Corus Steel Packaging Recycling
Trostre Works
Llanelli
Carmarthenshire SA14 9SD
Tel. 01554 712632
For more information on recycling of metal packaging
AMG Resources Ltd
Lower Trinity Street
Birmingham
B9 4AG
Tel: +44 (0) 121 772 3551
Fax: +44 (0) 121 772 7366
Email:info@amgindustries.co.uk
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