Local Authorities

Why collect aluminium?

Introducing aluminium cans, aerosols or foil to a household collection scheme expands the range of materials that residents can recycle

It provides a more comprehensive household collection service, and also makes a valuable contribution to local authority recycling targets.

With Landfill tax due to rise to £80 per tonne by 2014, and metals identified by government as a possible material to include in a future landfill ban, removing aluminium from landfill streams becomes increasingly important.

Aluminium's intrinsic value means that high prices are paid for clean streams of post-consumer material.

There are significant environmental benefits to recycling the metal too:

• Recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy than producing aluminium from raw materials;
  • It also saves 97% of green house gas emissions produced in the primary production process.
  • The high carbon impact of producing virgin aluminium has caused the government to target it as a priority material for recycling initiatives.
• The metal is a permanently available resource. It is 100 per cent recyclable, so carbon savings increase every time it passes through the recycling loop.
• Aluminium commands the highest price per tonne for any recyclate collected at kerbside, according to WRAP's Best Practice Guide (PDF download) on the collection of aerosols and aluminium foil. This means that even small amounts of aluminium yield reasonable cost savings for authorities that have a revenue sharing agreement with their waste management firm or materials recovery facility (MRF).
• Introducing aluminium cans, aerosols or foil to a household collection scheme expands the range of materials that residents can recycle and provides a more comprehensive service. It also makes a valuable contribution to local authority recycling targets.

How easy is it to add aluminium to our recycling service?

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