A new programme promoting metal packaging recycling has been rolled out by the Suffolk Waste Partnership. Homeowners across the region are being encouraged to recycle their food and drinks cans, aluminium wrapping foil and foil trays, empty aerosols and metal screw tops, in a bid to improve kerbside recycling rates.

‘MetalMatters’, run by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro), will use a targeted social media programme, supported by an outdoor advertising campaign, to engage with householders and communicate the widespread benefits of metal packaging recycling. Suffolk is the 112^th local authority area in the UK to implement the programme, which has already reached more than seven million households across the UK since its launch in 2012.

The campaign will run for a 6-week period and is expected to reach many of Suffolk’s 350,000 households.

Cllr James Mallinder, Chair of the Suffolk Waste Partnership commented: “While we already encourage householders to recycle as much of their waste as possible, we knew there was more we could do. Working with MetalMatters will allow us to engage with residents in a creative way, encouraging them to think about how best to dispose of their metal packaging.”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “Our MetalMatters programme has been running for more than a decade, educating the public about the benefits of recycling metal packaging and positively influencing kerbside capture rates. From prior experience, we’re confident to say that the Suffolk Waste Partnership will see a rise in recycling rates and householders taking positive action as a result of the campaign.

“After all, metal recycles forever, so making a few small changes can add up to a big environmental difference. It’s a message that really resonates.”

Funded by the metal packaging industry, MetalMatters aims to educate householders about the benefits of metal packaging and encourage them to recycle. Designed to support kerbside recycling schemes, MetalMatters can be run by any local authority, either region-wide, by collection round or even by demographic targeting.

For more information about MetalMatters, or to register your interest, visit www.metalmatters.org.uk.

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Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, has been named in the Letsrecycle.com ‘35 under 35’ list for 2022. Aiming to shine a spotlight on the sector’s rising stars, the list profiles the leaders of tomorrow and celebrates their incredible journeys within the waste and resources industry.

Tom was recognised by the judges for his ground-breaking work in delivering positive change for the aluminium packaging recycling sector. A true champion of the circular economy, Tom is committed to building a sustainable, resource-efficient future for the UK’s packaging supply chain.

Acting as the independent voice of the industry on issues of government policy and legislative development, Tom always wants to drive the sustainable packaging debate. Whether working in collaboration with stakeholders to inform upcoming legislation, or providing insight and guidance to help further improve national collection infrastructure, he is widely-regarded as an influential figurehead.

Passionate about progress, growth and positive change, Tom is dedicated to taking the waste and resources industry forward.

Tom commented: “Being named in the Letsrecycle.com ’35 under 35’ list for 2022 is a real honour. While my role as executive director of Alupro sees me represent one of the most dynamic industries in the UK, being recognised by my peers as a true leader in the sector is really humbling.

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to the other 34 leaders named in this year’s list – all of whom have pushed boundaries and helped to take the waste and resources industry forward.”

 

For more information about this year’s ‘35 under 35’, visit www.35-under-35.com.

Alupro, the aluminium packaging recycling organisation, has launched the ‘UK Aerosol Recycling Initiative’. The move will help increase the awareness and uptake of aerosol recycling among the public and drive increased recycling rates across the UK.

The initiative brings together working group partners from across the value chain including Ball Aerosol Packaging, the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (BAMA), Ecosurety, a packaging compliance scheme, the Materials Processing Institute, Suez Recycling and Recovery UK and Tandom Metallurgical Group Ltd, processors of reclaimed aluminium. The project aims to ensure metal aerosol recyclability and viability in a post-extended producer responsibility (EPR) and post-deposit return scheme (DRS) landscape. Metal recycles forever, so the steel or aluminium in metal aerosols can be recycled endlessly, without any loss of quality.

The cross-industry initiative will follow a three-phase approach to educate consumers around best practice recycling, to establish a baseline recycling rate and roadmap for achieving higher future rates for aerosol recycling in the UK, as well as seeking to secure substantial long-term investment into recycling infrastructure. The programme will help ensure that aerosols become a central part of recycling behaviour.

Earlier this year, Alupro, in collaboration with independent environmental consultancy Resource Futures, undertook sampling work to establish knowledge of where a baseline recycling rate for aerosols in the UK lies. The results showed that, despite 95% of councils offering aerosol recycling at kerbside, only 46% of aerosols are correctly separated for recycling by consumers.

‘The Lonely Aerosol’, a consumer engagement campaign, was also launched at the start of the year to encourage consumers to recycle empty aerosol cans. The pilot campaign reached a high volume of consumers, with almost one million people seeing the animations at least twice.

Looking forward, the project will create a roadmap in order to form a strategic approach towards achieving higher aerosol recycling rates in the UK, including the development of new consumer resources.

Predrag Ozmo, head of sustainability at Ball Aerosol Packaging, commented: “We’re proud to have joined the UK Aerosols Recycling Initiative in partnership with Alupro. The programme will provide a unique platform from which consumer behavioural change and infrastructure improvements can be made.

“The project is pivotal in driving further improvements in recycling, addressing both consumer knowledge and the role of government and industry bodies. As a society, we have woken up to the fact that the old linear economic model is no longer working. The urgency and benefits of moving toward a circular economy are clear.

“True circularity involves the continuous recovery and reuse of materials, with nothing lost during the full circle. It is not enough for products to be recyclable – they need to be physically recycled in the real world.”

Robbie Staniforth, Innovation and policy director at Ecosurety, said: “We’re pleased to be involved in this cross-industry initiative. It is vital that we build upon the success of aluminium recycling in general by focusing on specific packaging formats.

“Many of the barriers preventing aerosols being recycled are well-known, what is less clear is how those barriers can be removed. This initiative will pave the way for achieving much higher recycling rates for aluminium packaging in future.”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “Consistently, aerosols top WRAP’s annual list of confusing consumer packaging types in regard to recycling. As an industry, our goal is to exceed a 50% aerosol recycling rate by 2030, making this initiative critical.

“This initiative will see us work closely with our partners to improve consumer behaviour and aerosol recycling infrastructure in the UK. These changes to the metal packaging industry will contribute not only towards a wider sustainable future but also allow us to take an important step towards a 100% metal packaging recycling rate.

This is just the start of this project; we have big plans for the future and we’re actively welcoming new partners who have an interest in maximising the recycling rate of aerosols.”

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Last week (18 August), Jake Inglis, winner of the Alupro-sponsored ‘personal daily care product and brand’ category at the 2022 Student Starpack Awards, was taken on a VIP tour of Crown’s state-of-the-art R&D facility in Wantage.

Providing a priceless opportunity to go behind the scenes at one of the UK’s leading packaging design centres, Jake was joined by key members of the judging panel and was given the chance to spend time with Crown’s talented design innovation team. In addition to the tour, Jake took home £500 to progress his studies at Nottingham Trent University.

Organised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), the 2022 Student Starpack Awards challenged university students to create or redesign packaging for a daily personal care product, moving away from traditional plastic/flexible/multi-material/glass containers and instead embracing an infinitely recyclable aluminium solution.

As part of his entry, Jake created ‘ernære’ (Danish for ‘nourish’), a reusable, recyclable, single material stackable packaging solution for home beauty products. Designed to save space and minimise reliance on single-use containers, his prototype featured a proprietary interlocking system that would enable consumers to stack products on top of each other quickly and safely.

Tom Giddings, Alupro’s executive director, commented: “We were hugely impressed by each of the entries submitted this year, but the ernære prototype really stood out. Jake’s unique design was incredibly well thought out and demonstrated the potential aluminium offers for space-saving, multi-use, practical circular packaging solutions.

“It was easy to picture the stackable containers as a production-ready product, with the interlocking system highlighting Jake’s understanding of ergonomics in design.”

Jake added: “Being involved in the Student Starpack Awards was a really enjoyable process from start to finish – the project allowed me to explore the versatility of aluminium packaging and present back a solution that could help users save space and reduce packaging waste.

“As a product design student, being given the opportunity to tour one of the UK’s most renowned aluminium packaging R&D facilities was a dream come true. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the site and getting to grips with what a role in packaging design would really entail. I’d like to thank everyone that helped to make the day unforgettable, as well as my tutors for their support throughout the competition.”

Entries for the 2023 Student Starpack Awards are open now. For more information, visit: www.iom3.org/starpack.

 

Alupro has announced the appointment of Phoebe Kelly as its new programme assistant. Joining the business following the completion of her Masters degree at the University of Birmingham, Phoebe brings experience in content creation, marketing and events management.

In her new role, Phoebe will work closely with the Every Can Counts team, Alupro’s communications programme, on its mission to inspire, encourage and empower people to recycle their drink cans wherever they are. She will also be responsible for wider digital content creation, social media management and stakeholder engagement activities.

Phoebe is Alupro’s second appointment of 2022 and further reflects the organisation’s continued growth. In April, Martin Hyde joined the business as sustainability and public affairs manager, while Tom Giddings was promoted to the role of executive director.

Commenting on her appointment, Phoebe said: “With a passion for sustainability, I’m looking forward to joining the Alupro team, embracing new challenges, inspiring positive recycling behaviours and making a positive impact.

“With a hugely varied role, every day will be different. From content creation and social media management to stakeholder engagement and event support, I’ll be involved in so many different initiatives to drive aluminium recycling rates across the UK and educate householders about the importance of best practice waste management.”

Tom Giddings, executive director of Alupro, added: “At Alupro, our mission is to fulfil the industry’s obligations to meet, and exceed, recycling targets for the aluminium packaging recycling industry. With a passion for recycling and ambitions to make a real difference, we are confident that Phoebe will prove a great addition to our team.

“Her experience in events will be particularly beneficial for our Every Can Counts programme, especially coming up to festival season and the summer holidays – some of our busiest periods!”

To find out about the Every Can Counts programme, visit www.everycancounts.co.uk.

 

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