The second quarter PRN results were published by the Environment Agency in July and, at least for aluminium, look very encouraging, building further on the positive Q1 results.

For the period April – June 2013, 19,952 tonnes of aluminium packaging were collected for recycling, which means that year-to-date we are well on target to meet our 2013 obligations of 62,226 tonnes. Total aluminium collection volumes are up 21% and the “100% packaging” grade is up 38% on 2012.

The increase in tonnage suggests that local authorities are capturing increasingly large volumes of aluminium packaging, but also suggests that in 2012 the PRN system did not record all the recovered aluminium packaging. With much optimism surrounding the second half of the year, and hopefully helped by good summer weather, we should be quietly confident of meeting our annual target.

Of course the promising results to-date are not an excuse for complacency, as the aluminium target increase to 46% for 2014, but they are welcome and if they remain on track should help us enter 2014 on a positive note.