Alupro launches its “Roadmap to increasing UK aerosol recycling” report, the organisation’s long-term strategic vision to increase national capture and recycling rates.
Based on the evidence detailed in the report, the UK Aerosol Recycling Initiative has prioritised these five solutions for immediate action: measure recycling performance, consistent public messaging, targeted consumer education, standardised recycling label and model policy impacts.
Alupro – an industry-funded, not-for-profit representing the UK’s aluminium packaging industry – developed the report on behalf of The UK Aerosol Recycling Initiative. The document outlines five challenges preventing higher aerosol recycling rates and details a proposed solution to tackle each head-on.
The solutions include improving data quality through sampling of materials at MRFs (material recovery facilities), establishing collection consistency, investing in new ways to treat non-empty containers, increasing consumer education through standardised labelling and improving the design of aerosol containers to optimise the value in recycled materials.
The roadmap also presents the results of consumer research, analysis from local authorities and interviews with industry experts. Amongst the findings was council websites are the most common source of information used by respondents for aerosol recycling (45%), while 39% of respondents checked the packaging.
Our simple goal is to see aerosols become a central part of recycling behaviour in the waste management landscape of tomorrow.
52% of respondents also said they feel very or somewhat confident about the process of disposing of aerosols in their local area.
The report’s waste composition analysis stated that 56% of non-ferrous aerosols and 63% of ferrous aerosols were found in the recycling stream (as a % of the total aerosols found in the recycling + residual waste). Deodorants and air fresheners were the most prominent type of aerosols by weight and 85% of all discarded aerosols were classed as empty overall.
Commenting on the roadmap, Tom Giddings, executive director at Alupro, said: “Our simple goal is to see aerosols become a central part of recycling behaviour in the waste management landscape of tomorrow.
“Alongside presenting first-to-market research, we’ve proposed a series of five major priorities that will prove pivotal to increasing aerosol recycling rates. There are some clear obstacles, but also simple solutions that will help us – as an industry – to overcome them.
“To maximise momentum, we’ve shared the roadmap with key government figures, as well as the wider industry. As a group, we have big plans for the future and continue to welcome new partners who share our ambitions.”
