Oct 12 2004
The Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL) has just published its annual figures on steel packaging recycling in Europe. 2003 saw a further increase in the recycling of steel packaging (all segments incl. beverage, food, aerosols, ...) of 1.3% in Europe to reach just over 2.1 million tonnes. It confirms steel’s leadership position in packaging recycling with a global European recycling rate of 61%. A trend towards further recycling growth is forecast, both in the EU 15 as well as in the new member states.
In EU 15, a steel packaging recycling growth of 3.4% per year until 2008
APEAL forecasts that, by the end of 2008, the recycling of steel packaging in the EU15 should near 70%, with an average annual growth of 3.4%.
Two main factors support this trend: first of all, the progressive adoption into national law of the Landfill Directive will lead to a ban on landfilling unprocessed waste. This will accelerate implementation of household waste sorting and recovery infrastructure in Europe ; hence recycling will increase and so will the installed Municipal Solid Waste incineration capacity, where steel is magnetically sorted before or after incineration and recycled at the steel mills.
Secondly, the new 50% joint recycling target of the Packaging Directive for steel and aluminium packaging which will have to be reached in 2008 by 12 EU Member States and in 2011 by Portugal, Ireland and Greece, should further boost the extension of separate collection schemes in the EU.
Steel packaging recycling in the new EU member States is about to take off
Although the collection and recycling of packaging in most of the 10 new EU Member States is still in its infancy, APEAL is confident that steel packaging recycling will take off in the years to come. Hence, as in Western Europe, the collection of industrial packaging in steel (drums, steel strapping, etc) is already well organised with average recycling rates mostly above 80 %.
For household packaging, the implementation of the collection infrastructure in the new member states is taking place progressively via, mainly, integrated waste management systems based on the “Green Dot” model, but integrating also the existing collection infrastructure.
The European steel industry actively supports packaging recycling
Increased recycling of steel packaging improves the material’s environmental profile and contributes towards sustainable use of resources through the saving of raw materials and the resulting energy.
The European steel for packaging industry therefore supports recycling through a take-back guarantee. It also actively promotes the recycling of post-consumer steel packaging and the adoption by the end consumers of an ethical behaviour with regards to packaging disposal by supporting national campaigns managed by Vacances Propres (France), Nederland Schoon (the Netherlands), Aktion Saubere Landschaft (Germany), Keep Britain Tidy (UK).
Similar initiatives in Spain and Belgium are in development.
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