Why target aluminium?
All aluminium packaging is recyclable and there are readily available markets for the material.
Easy to handle
Empty aerosols and foil trays can be collected together, alongside food and drinks cans, so there’s no need for new equipment.
Value
High prices are paid for clean streams of post-consumer material. According to WRAP’s Best Practice Guide [LINK] on the collection of aerosols and aluminium foil, aluminium commands the highest price per tonne for any recyclate collected at kerbside. This means that even small amounts of additional aluminium yield reasonable cost benefits.
Better service
Introducing aluminium cans, aerosols or foil to a household collection scheme expands the range of materials that residents are able to recycle and provides a more comprehensive service. It also assists local authorities and commercial businesses in meeting recycling targets
Stable price
Aluminium is in great demand, and this is likely to increase as government and the industry focus increasingly on reprocessing material in the waste stream. As a result, aluminium is relatively cushioned from the fluctuations in value that pummel most recycled materials.
New opportunities
Advances in technologies make it easier to extract quality material for recycling. Alupro can offer advice on all aspects of sorting and handling material.
Carbon benefit
Metals are 100 per cent recyclable, so carbon savings increase every time they pass through the recycling loop. As recycling targets shift towards carbon rather than weight-based measurement, businesses that can maximise carbon savings and material value will be streets ahead of the competition.
Landfill Tax
Landfill Tax is due to rise to £80 a tonne by 2014, with metals identified in the government’s Waste Policy Review as a possible material suitable for a total landfill ban.