MetalMatters has launched in Scotland with the support of the Scottish Government and funding from Zero Waste Scotland. The metal packaging industry-led programme is designed to increase the capture rate for metal packaging collected for recycling by households. It is hoped it will contribute to the Government’s vision of a Zero Waste society. MetalMatters is being rolled out initially in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.

Richard Lochhead MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural and Environmental Affairs commented: “We are committed to increasing recycling rates in Scotland to 70% by 2025, as part of our Zero Waste Plan. We welcome the MetalMatters programme and look forward to it making an innovative contribution towards our goals.

“MetalMatters is also a great example of how industry and local authorities can work together to engage local communities, drive up recycling rates and also support further development of our waste management and recycling sectors.”

The current campaign, which is running across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, includes leaflets, which have been sent to every home across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, supported by radio and newspaper advertisements. Recycling vehicles in both local authorities will also carry the ‘make your metals matter’ message and roadshows in town centres and at major local events will enable residents to get more information about the campaign. The eight week campaign, which is managed by Alupro, is being jointly funded by an industry partnership comprising the UK’s leading producers, users and recyclers of metal packaging and Zero Waste Scotland.

Zero Waste Scotland Director, Iain Gulland said: “Households already recycle a great deal of packaging and want to ‘do their bit’ for the environment. Educational programmes, like MetalMatters, are key to getting more people to recycle more often. We need a greater understanding at grass roots level that household metals are a precious resource rather than waste – metals are a good example, as they can be recycled endlessly without loss of quality. It makes sense to residents that they should separate and recycle all their empty cans, food tins, aerosols and foils.”

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro added: “Scotland’s commitment to a Zero Waste society is something we are proud to be involved with and we welcome the support of both the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland. We are looking forward to seeing how the campaign develops and the impact it has on household metal packaging and attitudes to recycling.”

Alupro took over management of the MetalMatters programme in late 2011 and so far this year has launched campaigns in Northern Ireland, and Sefton Borough Council in addition to the Aberdeenshire and City programme.

The Aluminium Packaging and Recycling Organisation (Alupro) has welcomed the Government’s announcement that statutory packaging recycling targets which will increase year on year, are to be introduced from 2013 until 2017; but has cautioned that continual review is critical if the industry is to maximise recycling performance.

Following the announcement by DEFRA that packaging recycling targets will increase for aluminium by 3%, plastic by 5% and steel by 1% per year, with glass recycling split by end use, Alupro has confirmed it believes the targets to be challenging but achievable, as well as fair and equitable across all materials.

Alupro has cautioned that targets must continue to be reviewed however and is calling for active support from Government, stakeholders, brands and retailers to ensure recycling rates are maximised.

Rick Hindley, Alupro executive director, said: “Alupro fully supports the setting of aspirational targets but because there is still uncertainty concerning the removal of aluminium included in composite packaging from waste arising figures we strongly recommend that the targets set until 2017 are reviewed in 2014.

“This will help Government ensure targets remain challenging, achievable and aligned with industry objectives to maximise recycling performance.”

Alupro has also welcomed the full review and analysis of the data relating to aluminium waste arising and obligated tonnage that the Government confirms will be undertaken in 2012.

Rick continued: “The way in which aluminium packaging recycling has traditionally been measured and consequently reported has been flawed by the UK’s interpretation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.<br /> “In fact the UK remains the only country in Europe which classifies the aluminium used as an essential but minor component of composite or laminate packs, as aluminium packaging.

“With around 16,000 tonnes of aluminium used in composite and laminate packaging, the removal of aluminium included in composite packaging from waste arising figures would play a significant role in helping the industry to boost recycling performance.

“Such a move would also bring the UK into line with the requirements of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. In that way, recycling performance could be measured and reported on an equal footing with all other EU countries.”

In fact, Alupro has confirmed that the metal packaging sector is committed to achieving an average 80% recycling rate across Europe by 2020.

Rick added: “For these levels of recycling to be achieved at European level, it is essential that UK recycling levels continue to increase in-line with the industry’s model, developed by Alupro in response to the previous consultation in 2010.

“Alupro remains confident that we can achieve this target along with the sector’s own UK target of 65% for all aluminium packaging by 2020. The new, statutory targets will play a vital role in achieving this by driving investment through the Packaging Recovery Notes (PRN) system, and ensuring recycling performance is maximised.”

Investment through the PRN system is critical in providing an incentive to reprocessors and exporters to remain accredited. Falling PRN prices in the last three years – the result of flat recycling targets – have led reprocessors and exporters to question the commercial value of remaining accredited.

Alupro has called for the Advisory Committee on Packaging (ACP) to establish a working group to consider the issue as the accreditation of reprocesors and exporters is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of the PRN system, while investment through the PRN system plays a vital role in enabling accurate reporting of recycling performance to the EU.</p> <p> Rick added: “While further on-going review is required to ensure targets remain challenging, achievable and set at the optimum level to boost recycling performance, today’s announcement is good news for the industry.

Every Can Counts, the away from home drinks can recycling programme, has today revealed that it helped collect 51 million used beverage cans from workplaces and ‘on the go’ locations across the UK in 2011. This equates to 774 tonnes of aluminium and steel collected and around 5,800 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved as a result of the programme.1

Every Can Counts, which is funded by a partnership comprising UK and European drinks can manufacturers, the aluminium and steel packaging and recycling industries, and energy drinks brand Red Bull, announced the results to mark the third anniversary of the programme’s launch.

On average each employee at workplaces registered with the programme recycled five cans per month, which represents a year on year increase in workplace recycling performance of 25 percent. The programme has also developed a viable model for drinks can recycling at outdoor events. Around 1 million drinks cans, which equates to nearly 15 tonnes of aluminium and steel, were collected by Every Can Counts across ten music festivals in 2011. To date, nearly 700 organisations around the UK are registered with the programme, with almost 5,000 Every Can Counts branded collection points at over 1,900 individual sites.

Originally launched as a trial programme to test the barriers and drivers to successful recycling outside the home, Every Can Counts has now established a model to help organisations that are working towards sustainability objectives, such as zero waste to landfill. The programme was cited as an example of best practice in the Government Review of Waste Policy in England 2011.

With a name and brand identity that works well in any language, the Every Can Counts programme has also now been successfully replicated in France, Austria, Romania and Hungary, with more European markets looking to follow suit.

Rick Hindley, director of Every Can Counts commented, “The 2011 results confirm that we have established a successful model for encouraging recycling outside the home. However this is just the tip of the iceberg, and we are constantly on the look-out for new ways to help businesses that want to recycle more, as it’s important to keep testing, refining and innovating. We have some exciting plans in preparation for 2012, which we hope will keep us at the forefront of developments in this challenging area.

“The development of new Every Can Counts-branded programmes in Europe is very exciting, as it offers us a unique opportunity to promote can recycling under a single ‘brand’ identity across a wide market. And it offers our programme partners a great platform for demonstrating extended producer responsibility and making an impact on recycling rates across the EU.”

Around 30% of the 9.5 billion cans sold every year are consumed outside the home; mainly in workplaces and whilst ‘on the go’, so they do not get picked up for recycling through local authority collections for domestic waste. Every Can Counts addresses this gap by helping organisations to set up and promote recycling schemes to staff and customers. Results from participating organisations also show that, although the programme targets drinks cans, volumes of other recyclables increase as a result of using Every Can Counts branded resources.

Ends

Note to Editors:

1 Figures have been calculated using data provided by a representative sample of Every Can Counts programme users and calculated using methodology approved by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Alupro fully supports the Government’s preferred option for an increase in recycling targets, (option 3a) and believes the targets proposed are fair and equitable. Alupro urges the Government to ensure that future targets are ‘stretching but realistic’, and are regularly reviewed.

Alupro proposes a review of targets in 2014 in order to assess the impact of any change of reporting to exclude laminates and composite materials, which would come into effect in 2013, and to ensure the integrity of the PRN system is maintained.

Alupro believes that the Government, and Industry’s ambitions and strategies will deliver recycling rates for beverage cans in excess of 75% by 2017 – this is achievable within the current system and Alupro believes this is a more cost-effective than the introduction of a deposit on packaging containers.
The full text of Alupro’s response follows:

DEFRA CONSULTATION ON RECOVERY AND RECYCLING TARGETS FOR PACKAGING WASTE 2013-2017

The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) is a not-for-profit company which represents the leading aluminium packaging producers and reprocessors/exporters in the UK. These companies recycle or export around 75% of the aluminium packaging collected for recycling in the UK.

Alupro’s role is to ensure that packaging waste recycling targets are met through working with local authorities and other partners, and through public education. Alupro is also the industry body responsible for working with Government on policy issues.

The Aluminium Industry is fully committed to continuing to drive up recycling performance, focussing, where possible, on collection systems which deliver the highest quality material. Indeed, voluntarily, it has invested well over £20 million in the development of collection programmes over the past twenty years. There is more than adequate reprocessing capacity to recycle all of the aluminium packaging used in the UK, collection is challenge!

The Aluminium Industry fully supports the setting of future targets which are fair and equitable across all materials, realistic and challenging, but most importantly, achievable.

Key Points of concern:

Accurately Reporting Recycling Performance:

Alupro’s primary objective is to ensure that recycling rates for aluminium packaging are maximised and that all activity is acurately reported through the PRN system. This is not only to ensure that targets are met under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations, but also vitally important for demonstrating achievement of targets in the Courtauld commitment where end of life recycling rate, measured through the PRN system, is the key metric for metal packaging.

Consequently failure to be able to accurately report recycling performance could have a negative commercial impact on the sector.

Flat targets set over the last three years have resulted in PRN values which are currently at a level which leads accredited reprocessors/exporters to question the commercial value of remaining accredited. Indeed, a number of Alupro’s members have expressed doubt as to whether they can justify the costs of accredidation in the future. One member who was accredited as a large reprocessor last year has chosen not to become accredited in 2012.

Equally market conditions which lead to reprocessors/exporters “dipping” in out of the system as prices rise and fall from year to year due to “apparent” market shortages and excesses, is equally not desirable as this will result in wildly fluctuating recycling rates. This is not only a problem for obligated companies from a budgeting and cost control perspective, but also for Government who will be forced to report national recycling levels which go up and down from one year to the next.

The setting of stretching but realistic targets is critical to creating the conditions when it is commercially attractive for companies to maintain their accreditation.

In order to ensure that targets remain a “driver” for accreditation we believe it is important that they are reviewed regularly; it would therefore be prudent to review them again in 2014.

Accreditation of reprocessors/exporters is essential to the integrity of the PRN based system and the accurate reporting of national recycling performance to the EU and for monitoring performance against Courtauld commitment targets.

We therefore propose that the ACP set up a task force to investigate this important issue and develop and evaluate options to protect the integrity of the system by maximising the accreditation of reprocessors/exporters.

Growth in Recycling Performance:

According to 2011 PRN data to end of Q3, it looks like the volumes of aluminium packaging collected for recycling grew by at least 30%. If this level of recycling and growth is sustained in 2012 and beyond the targets proposed by Government in option 3a will be less challenging.

However, due to serious concerns relating to accreditation of reprocessors/exporters (see above), we believe that it is prudent to set increasing targets as proposed by Government.

Data Uncertainty:

We remain concerned about the accuracy of reporting of aluminium sales data by obligated companies relative to the waste stream data reported by Government and provided to Alupro by our members, the major suppliers to the UK market.

Clearly this data is of critical importance to the setting of business targets.

The Government’s proposal to bring the reporting of the aluminium used in laminates into line with EU Directive could potentially impact upon reported obligated data. The impact will not be known until the first round of reporting under the new system happens in 2013.

Again, we believe this also to be a strong reason to review the targets in 2014.

Deposit Systems:

Alupro fully supports the Government’s conclusions regarding the potential impact of deposit systems on the recycling of packaging in the UK and offers the following observations:

• The Government’s and Industry’s ambitions and strategies will deliver recycling rates for beverage cans in excess of 73% by 2017 and 75% by 2020.
• This will be achieved at a significantly lower cost than would be the case with a deposit system.
• Mandatory deposits typically achieve a return rate of between 70% and 90% in jurisdictions where consumers never lost the habit of taking deposit-bearing containers back to a shop. In the UK as a whole, consumers lost the habit of taking deposit-bearing containers back to a shop two generations ago, when refillable bottles disappeared from the take-home trade. Thus, the return rate would almost certainly be at the bottom end of the scale.
• Hawaii is the only jurisdiction to have introduced mandatory deposits in a market where refillables had already disappeared, and there the return rate was 76% in 2011. As noted above, achievement of Defra’s proposed targets would involve 75% of UK beverage cans being recycle by 2017 – without the need for deposits.

Consultation Questions Responses:

Q1. In your view, are our projections for waste arisings reasonably accurate?

Are you aware of any other factors which may affect the levels of packaging entering the waste stream?

Please provide us with as much evidence as possible to support so we can adjust our figures as necessary.

Alupro: We agree that the aluminium waste arisings figures are the best available. They are in line with the sector’s own projections. We note that figures used by Government still include the aluminium used in laminates and composites which will need to be removed if the Government’s proposal on the treatment of these packaging formats is adopted.

We fully support the setting of “aspirational targets for a period of 5 years to allow investment plans to be made. However, we are concerned about setting “binding” long-term targets based upon data projections.

We propose that the base sales data and targets should be reviewed in 2014 to allow adjustments to be made if current projections prove to be unrealistic.

Q2. In your view, are the predictions for obligated tonnage reasonably accurate?

Alupro: We recognise that the reported “obligated” tonnage for aluminium is the “best source” available, but we remain concerned about possible confusion between obligated companies reporting of aluminium and steel. We have no evidence to support this, but “something” doesn’t feel right when compared to sales data reported by our members.

Due to uncertainty of the exact impact the proposed changes relating to the aluminium in composite/laminate packaging will have on reported data and hence the achievement of business targets we believe that it would be prudent to review the data and future targets to 2017 once the data becomes fully transparent in 2014, following the implementation of the proposal in 2013. This will enable Government to ensure that future targets remain challenging and are in line with Government’s and Industry’s objectives to continue to drive up performance to maximise recycling performance

We therefore believe that it would be prudent to review that data and targets in 2014.

Q3. We would welcome respondent’s views on the proposal to remove composites material from waste calculations.

Please provide evidence to support your answer, so we are in a position to adjust our figures as necessary.

Alupro: We fully support the proposal and believe that it is essential to bring the UK into line with requirements of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and to fully align the waste stream figure with the data reported by obligated companies.

We estimate that around 16,000 tonnes of aluminium forms an essential element of certain composite and laminate packs (see below).

Aluminium Composite Market Estimates / Tonnes

Lids on steel drinks cans / 5000
Foil in drink cartons / 4500
Foil in pharmaceuticals / 2500
Other (confectionery, pouches etc) / 4000
Total 16000
Due to uncertainty of the exact impact the proposed changes will have on reported data and hence the achievement of business targets we believe that it would be prudent to review the data and future targets to 2017 once the data becomes fully transparent in 2014 following the implementation of the proposal in 2013. This will enable Government to ensure that future targets remain challenging and are in line with Government’s and Industries objectives to continue to drive up performance to maximise recycling performance.

Q4. Do you support the proposed approach to split the glass target in line with end use and limit the allowable recycling through aggregates?

Alupro: We have insufficient market knowledge to comment on this proposal.

Q5. Do you support the Government’s preferred option?

Alupro: We have fully considered the range of options detailed in the Consultation document. We fully support the Government’s preferred option 3a. We believe that the targets proposed are fair and equitable across all materials.

The proposed targets for aluminium match closely the sectors own model to deliver an overall recycling rate of 65% for all aluminium packaging (excluding laminates and composites) and 80% rate for aluminium drinks cans by 2020.

The Industry is fully committed to maximising recycling performance and the setting of stretching business targets to drive investment through the PRN system; also providing an incentive to reprocessors and exporters to become accredited ensuring that collected material is properly reported and accounted for.

Ends

www.alupro.org.uk
7th February 2012