With aluminium packaging waste set to soar over the festive period, Alupro is calling on households to think carefully about how they dispose of their rubbish and ensure recyclable materials are placed in the correct bin.

Recent data from DEFRA suggests that around 175 million mince pies are purchased at Christmas, with the foil cases alone expected to fill two shipping containers.* When you add in the huge volumes of chocolate and cooking foil, foil roasting trays, empty aerosols, drink cans and metal bottle tops used during December, the mountain of recyclable aluminium starts to build up fast!

While this material can be easily recycled at the kerbside, an estimated 3,000 tonnes is incorrectly disposed of and therefore ends up in landfill.** Whether laziness, convenience or simply a lack of knowledge, this is a hugely disappointing situation.

To get households back on the recycling nice list, Alupro has created a series of free resources to help local authorities engage with residents and improve aluminium packaging collection volumes. Featuring clear and practical guidance, it’s a quick, simple and cost-effective way to maximise collection volumes.

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, commented: “The festive season is the perfect time to bringing families together, but it also results in more waste from all those Christmas favourites. While the extra drink can here or foil roasting tray there may feel somewhat insignificant, across the country the numbers really do add up.

“By taking a moment to wipe or rinse foil trays and scrunch small pieces of chocolate foil together and place in the correct bin, households can make sure that aluminium is recycled again and again. We’re encouraging local authorities to use our free Christmas resources and increase aluminium packaging recycling rates over the festive period.”

Local authorities can download campaign materials and access further information via the Alupro website.

ENDS

*https://defraenvironment.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/13/sustainable-festivities-how-you-can-reduce-your-waste-this-christmas/

**https://alupro.org.uk/yule-be-shocked-an-additional-3000-tonnes-of-aluminium-could-be-recycled-this-christmas/

https://www.gwp.co.uk/guides/christmas-packaging-facts/