Novelis Blog
The overall recycling rate for aluminium beverage cans in the EU increased by 2.4% to 66.7% in 2010. After the difficult economic situation in the previous years the consumption of aluminium beverage cans increased by a further 2 billion units to a total of 36 billion cans in 2010.
This means that at least 24 billion aluminium beverage cans were recycled, resulting in a total greenhouse gas saving of 2.5 million tonnes – the equivalent of taking 1 million passenger cars off the roads for a whole year!
The European Aluminium Association (EAA) has now reported for 20 consecutive years about the recycling results for the aluminium beverage can in Europe. Back in the early Nineties, only 30% of all beverage cans were recycled. This figure rose to 52% in 2005, meaning that we are confident that we should be able to recycle 3 out of 4 cans by 2015 or thereabouts, with further growth potential for the years up to 2020.
In order to capture the remaining cans, the aluminium industry, together with the beverage can makers, is focusing on cans that are consumed ‘outside the home’, for example at the workplace or at events and festivals. For this purpose the ‘Every Can Counts’ concept, which originally started in the United Kingdom has been introduced into France, Austria, Romania, and Hungary, and in the near future also in Ireland. ‘Every Can Counts’ points out the importance of recycling each and every beverage can, regardless of where its contents are actually consumed.
[Source – European Aluminium Association]
Click here to view the Novelis Recycling infographic of facts & information on aluminium recycling