An estimated 650 million metal aerosols are used in the UK each year, with over 80 percent of these used in the home. Upcoming reforms to packaging recycling in the UK, including a deposit return scheme for drink containers, Simpler Recycling in England and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), present an opportunity for the metal packaging sector to redouble their efforts to push metal recycling rates even higher than they are today (the aluminum packaging recycling rate for 2023 was 68 percent.)
The project aims to provide data and case studies on how to increase the capture, sorting and treatment of aerosols. The first phase, over the coming 12 months, will see SUEZ recruit three local authorities in different areas across the UK to monitor and analyze aerosol capture rates, and be ready for the next phase of the trial to start in 2025. The next phase of the trial will see a year-long sampling exercise, measuring the quantities of aerosols collected through both the residual and recycling curbside streams, as well as looking into the challenges of sorting and analyzing aerosols collected through the curbside system. Further, the year will see the trialing of a brand new communications campaign to consumers to boost aerosol recycling.
Research by Alupro has shown many people are unsure of how to dispose of aerosols and as a result, fewer aerosols are disposed of in household recycling collections, compared to most other forms of metal packaging. In 2023, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) found that 18 percent of the UK population admitted to throwing aerosols in their normal rubbish bin in the past year. This project will improve public knowledge around best practice recycling, establish a baseline recycling rate and roadmap for achieving higher future rates for aerosol recycling, and seek to stimulate substantial long-term investment into recycling infrastructure.