The recovery rate of aluminum cans in Europe has reached a new high

According to the recycling data of EU, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, nearly 31 billion cans were recycled in these regions in 2018, with a total volume of 420000 tons, further promoting the development of European circular economy.

Looking ahead, European aluminium producers say they expect further growth in aluminium recovery due to the introduction of new PMD recovery systems, including dedicated colour coded bags and dedicated bins, as well as deposit returns and incentive based voluntary recycling initiatives. In addition, Alcoa said that aluminum producers and can producers will continue to invest more in finding new recycling methods and additional recycling capacity in cooperation with public and private waste management companies. Raw aluminum needs to be produced by using bauxite, while the energy required in the production process of recycled aluminum is only less than 5% of the original aluminum.

Recycling aluminum is also good for the environment, because the greenhouse gas produced by recycling aluminum is only equivalent to 5% of the same amount of raw aluminum. According to the existing recovery rate, the annual greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 3 million tons.

Maarten labberton, director of the Packaging Committee of the European aluminum industry association, pointed out the importance of aluminum recycling: "when we move towards the goal of 100% recycling, the most important thing is the effectiveness of recycling; considering that the loss of aluminum in the recycling process is very low, the future of recycling aluminum looks good."

Founded in 1981, the European Aluminum Association has more than 80 members and its business covers the entire aluminum value chain. The association represents more than 600 enterprises in 30 European countries.