Waste & Resources Action Programme
WRAP Good Practice Guide
Are you collecting foil and aerosols with your mixed cans?
Residents are keen to recycle as wide a range of
materials from the kerbside as possible, and aluminium
is a priority material because of the energy and carbon
savings achieved through recycling.
A survey1 carried out in August 2009 for Alupro (the Aluminium
Packaging Recycling Organisation) found that around 85% of people
who were not able to recycle aerosols and foil would recycle both
if facilities were available. This good practice guide aims to raise
awareness about what local authorities can, and are doing, to meet
this demand by collecting both clean foil and empty aerosols.
The inclusion of foil and aerosols in collections alongside mixed food
and beverage cans is often a simple step and can help satisfy residents’
demands for more materials to be collected for recycling. Health and
safety and contamination concerns can be overcome through working
closely with those organisations that collect and/or process recyclables
for you.
Why collect aerosols and foil?
Collection and reprocessing of used aluminium from local authorities
provides valuable recycling feedstocks to the manufacturing industry
(and its customers) because:
n it is 100% recyclable;
n when recycled, it is as good quality as virgin material; and
n the recycling process uses 95% less energy than producing virgin aluminium, resulting in a much lower carbon footprint.
Of the waste aluminium packaging found in UK homes, foil and
aerosols are often not included in local authority collection schemes
despite these materials being recyclable. In actual fact these materials
can, and are being easily recycled by many local authorities.
2009 Data from WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme)
and Alupro shows:
In a recent survey
of householders
carried out by
Alupro - only
39% thought that
aerosols could
be recycled while
70% knew that
foil could
be recycled.
LAs that collect mixed cans, foil and aerosols 174
LAs that collect mixed cans and foil
197
LAs that collect mixed cans and aerosols
273
Source
WRAP
Alupro
Alupro
For those authorities that don’t currently collect aerosols and foil (but
do collect mixed cans) this presents a potentially valuable opportunity.
1
A GfK NOP UK market research agency survey
02 WRAP Good Practice Guide
How are they collected?
“
We encourage residents to think
about the rooms of the home
that they can recycle from. For
aerosols, the bathroom is an
important source for deodorants
and hairsprays. The kitchen is
an important source for foil as
well as food and beverage cans.
We provide ongoing information
through council newsletters to
remind residents of the range of
materials that they can recycle.
Clare Melser
Recycling Services Officer, SMBC
”
Foil and aerosols (both aluminium and steel) can be collected via
kerbside collection services and from bring banks and household
waste recycling centres. They are collected as part of both kerbside
sort and co-mingled collections. Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
(SMBC) sort materials at the kerbside, using its fleet of stillage
vehicles to separate mixed metal packaging (including foil and
aerosols) from other recyclables. Fenland District Council collects
recyclables fully co-mingled using standard refuse collection vehicles,
with both empty aerosols and clean foil accepted. These materials are
then segregated at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
For many local authorities, these materials are added to a collection
at no extra cost as they can be collected using their current vehicles,
and do not take up significant capacity.
Other local authorities choose to introduce new materials alongside
other changes in their service, when the changes would be easier to
promote and more competitive quotes can be received, such as:
n when re-tendering for a change in disposal point for recyclables;
n when modifying kerbside collection vehicles; or
n during re-negotiations with waste collection contractors.
Local authorities that want to collect foil and aerosols co-mingled with
other recyclables must ensure that their MRF is capable (and willing)
to take them. For example, Fenland District Council added these
materials in 2006 once its MRF had made the necessary adaptations.
Once the MRF receives the recyclate, the steel fraction is removed
with an over-band magnet. The mixed aluminium is removed using an
eddy-current separator, which repels this material from the conveyor
belt and diverts it through a different channel.
Those local authorities that sort recyclables at kerbside often collect
steel and aluminium packaging in the same compartment. This is then
separated into either two or three material streams before being sent
for reprocessing. Foil is typically sorted from the aluminium cans
by hand. Clear communications regarding foil (such as always referring
to ‘clean foil’ only) will help to reduce any contamination.
The perception of a risk of explosion is one reason why some local
authorities are reluctant to collect aerosols. Two simple measures
which minimise this risk are to ask householders to ensure that
aerosols are completely empty before putting them out for collection
and ensuring that they remain mixed with other cans. Research
undertaken by the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (BAMA)
demonstrated the risks to be negligible at the levels that these
materials are collected as long as the guidance above is followed.
Reprocessors too typically do not want aerosols presented separately,
and prefer to handle them in relatively small numbers mixed with
other cans.
The recycling process
Once separated and baled, the mixed aluminium packaging is
sent to a reprocessor. Reprocessors will screen the aluminium for
contamination a final time, and may then remove any coatings before
it is sent to a furnace to be remelted.
WRAP Good Practice Guide 03
In the furnace, the blend of the metal is checked against customer
requirements, before it is cast into ingots. In a closed loop system
these ingots are then rolled into thin aluminium sheet to be used to
create new beverage cans. Mixed aluminium packaging may also be
remelted with other aluminium scraps for use in a wide variety of
applications.
Foil is a slightly different alloy than that used in food and beverage
or aerosols. It is increasingly recycled into the automotive industry,
where it can be cast into a range of new products, such as cylinder
heads. The lightweight properties of aluminium make it ideal for
this application, where reduced weight can lead to significant energy
savings over the lifetime of the vehicle.
Steel packaging (food, beverage and aerosols) is also 100% recyclable,
and once collected and sorted is recycled into a wide range of new
products and packaging, such as new steel cans for packaging, cars,
construction materials and a wide range of other steel applications.
What are the benefits?
The high energy costs for producing aluminium from raw materials
means that there are high prices paid for clean streams of
post-consumer aluminium. This material commands the highest
price per tonne for kerbside collected recyclate. Small amounts
of aluminium therefore yield reasonable cost savings for those
authorities that have a revenue sharing agreement with their MRF
or aggregation centre.
For example, when Fenland District Council introduced foil and
aerosols to its collection, there was no extra gate fee charged (per
tonne) by its MRF. As the extra collection costs are often negligible
(these materials are unlikely to overload vehicles) this represents
a low cost expansion of existing recycling services. It also saves on
disposal costs as this material is diverted from landfill.
All foil can be
recycled, such as
foil trays and pie
cases, dairy lids
and chocolate
and household
wrapping foil.
The sorting route
Mixed Metal
Packaging
Removal
of Steel
Mixed
Aluminium
Packaging
Beverage
cans and
aerosols
Remelt
& Rolling
New cans/
aerosols
Foil
Furnace
Aluminium
Application
e.g Automotive
Steel
Reprocessor
Steel
Products
Or
Remelt
& Rolling
New cans
or other
applications
Consumer
Consumer
04 WRAP Good Practice Guide
Summary
Adding foil and aerosols to a
collection should be undertaken
in close consultation with the
organisations that will collect
and process the material. These
organisations will provide details
of how the materials should be
presented and stored to ensure
that there is minimal health and
safety risk and that the benefits of
recycling can be optimised.
Aluminium is a valuable recyclate,
with average prices paid for baled
cans currently being around £560
per tonne and foil being £90 per
tonne2. Current prices paid for
aluminium recyclate can be viewed
on WRAP’s Market Knowledge
Portal: www.wrap.org.uk/metals
For information on how to find
your local recycling site and about
recycling aluminium, you may find
it useful to visit: www.alupro.org.uk
2
Another benefit to the collection of aerosols and foil is expanding
the range of materials that residents can collect at the kerbside.
Residents are always keen to recycle as many items from their
household as possible, and the addition of foil and aerosols expands
this range to include common household waste items.
Support with local authority communications is available from WRAP.
Please visit our website for further information: www.wrap.org.uk/LA
Communications with residents
Local authorities that have added foil and aerosols to their collections
recognise the need to provide updated communications materials
to residents. In order to keep costs to a minimum, the addition of
these extra materials is typically publicised during a scheduled
communications event. Examples include using:
n collection calendars (and supporting literature);
n websites / contact centres;
n bin stickers;
n local press; and
n door-stepping events (if pre-planned).
However, as with all other recyclables, continual communication
with residents is important to keep yields high and contamination
to a minimum.
There are some key points to remember when collecting these
materials:
n Make sure residents know how to present both the foil and
aerosols for collection.
n For aerosols - plastic lids should be removed and aerosols fully emptied but not squashed.
n For aluminium foil - all foil can be recycled, such as foil trays and pie cases, dairy lids and chocolate and household wrapping foil. Metallised plastic film such as crisp packets will spring back when scrunched in the hand and should not be presented for recycling.
Sources: WRAP Material Pricing Report and www.letsrecycle.com. Valid for year to July 2009.
While steps have been taken to ensure its accuracy, the authors cannot accept responsibility or be held liable to any person for any loss or damage arising out
of or in connection with this information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. This material is copyrighted. It may be reproduced free of charge subject to the
material being accurate and not used in a misleading context. The source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged. This material
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on our website - www.wrap.org.uk
Waste & Resources
Action Programme
The Old Academy
21 Horse Fair
Banbury, Oxon
OX16 0AH
Tel: 01295 819 900
Fax: 01295 819 911
E-mail: [email protected]
Helpline freephone
0808 100 2040
www.wrap.org.uk/alucollections
Printed on 75% recycled
content paper
September 2009