Aerosols and aluminium foil “widely” collected for recycling

According to new figures released by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation, Alupro, 96% of UK councils are collecting aerosols, and 86% are collecting aluminium foil, for recycling.

Over the past three years, the number of councils collecting aerosols has increased from 87% to 96%, providing almost complete coverage throughout the UK. Meanwhile, foil recycling has also seen a dramatic increase in collection, from just 35% of councils in 2007 to 86% today.

“Alupro provides local authorities with free materials to explain how to recycle empty aerosols, household foil and foil containers. We have also worked with councils and their service providers to dispel some of the myths about these materials being ‘difficult’ to recycle,” says Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro. “We’re delighted to see how well councils have responded to this clear messaging, which has enabled more aluminium packaging to be recycled than ever before.”

“The latest Alupro statistics on kerbside collections indicate foil is now also eligible for Widely Recycled status,” said Jane Bevis, Chair of the On-Pack Recycling Label, OPRL. “We look forward to WRAP confirmation of this in our 2016 guidelines update, since we know 7 in 10 consumers act on this clear recyclability advice when they see it. 500 brands use our labels across hundreds of thousands of products, so that can make a real difference.”

Foil currently has ‘Widely Recycled at Recycling Points: Check Locally for Kerbside’ status under the On-Pack Recycling Label scheme. Once 75% of local authorities collect a material at the kerbside, this message changes to the simpler ‘Widely Recycled’ that consumers find so much easier to act on.