The demand for aluminium foil is rising, and the credit goes to the proliferating food and beverage industry. Due to its recyclable nature, end users, such as the pharmaceutical, cosmetics industry, and others, are adopting aluminium foil packaging in more significant numbers.
The recycling rate of aluminium packaging in the UK has increased for three consecutive quarters, and the recycling volume is expected to surpass its annual target of 147,632 tonnes.
Aluminium, unlike many metals, follows the cradle-to-cradle cycle
For most aluminium products, the metal is not consumed during the product's lifetime but used, with the potential to be recycled without any loss of its inherent properties. Therefore, the life cycle of an aluminium product is not the traditional "cradle-to-grave" sequence but rather a sustainable "cradle-to-cradle" cycle.
This property of infinite recyclability has led to a situation where today, around 75% of the almost one billion tonnes of aluminium produced is still in productive use, some having been through countless loops in its lifecycle.
Only 5% of the original energy input is required to produce this metal, making it available not just once but repeatedly for future generations.
It is interesting to note that the growing global markets for aluminium products are supplied by both primary (around 65%) as well as recycled (approximately 35%) metal sources.
In North America and Europe, a beverage can is produced, filled, distributed, consumed, collected, and recycled into a can within 60 days. The aluminium industry has a long tradition of collecting and recycling used aluminium products. The high economic value of used aluminium packaging is an incentive for continuous improvement in recycling.
The aluminium drinks can is the most recycled beverage container in the world, and most aluminium foil applications are also fully recyclable. Modern separation techniques allow aluminium foil in household waste to be extracted and recycled at a fraction of its original energy cost. If aluminium foil is not collected for recycling but processed in incinerators, the thin, laminated foil material is oxidised and releases energy, which can be recovered. Moreover, the remaining non-oxidised aluminium can be extracted from the bottom of the incinerator and subsequently recycled.
Improving the overall collection rate of used aluminium packaging products is essential in pursuing sustainable development. The industry continues to recycle, without subsidy, all the aluminium collected from end-of-life products as well as from fabrication and manufacturing process scrap. However, with a growing number of industry initiatives and the help of appropriate authorities, local communities, and society, the amount of aluminium collected could be increased further.
Benefits of aluminium recycling
Recycling aluminium conserves energy and other natural resources for present and future generations. It requires up to 95% less energy to recycle aluminium than to produce primary metal, thereby avoiding corresponding emissions, including greenhouse gases.
- It saves enough energy to run your television for up to three hours
- Recycling aluminium avoids CO2 emissions equivalent to a 1-mile car journey
- A recyclable drinking can be back on the supermarket shelf as another can within 60 days
The Future
With a net annual requirement of 147,632 tonnes and considering a carry-in of 8,212 tonnes from last year, the UK has already surpassed 80 per cent of its yearly collection and recycling target within three months of the year.
According to Q3 data published by the Environment Agency in November 2022, aluminium packaging recycling rates have increased for the third quarter and assuming volumes to remain high in Q4, too. It is also anticipated that recycling rates will hit record levels.
