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The “Recycles Forever” identifier, recently released by Metal Packaging Europe, aims to help engage and educate consumers to better understand their role in keeping steel in a ‘forever loop’ by recycling their used packaging.
Efficient collection of used packaging remains an important consideration for the EU packaging sector. A lot of work is being done across Europe to boost the collection and recycling of all packaging including those consumed out of home and it is important that all schemes focus on keeping valuable resources in the material loop. It is reassuring to note that everyone from brand owners to consumers are becoming increasingly aware of issues such as recycling rates, supply chain performance and resource use.
APEAL is a firm believer in advocating respect for the environment and ensuring efficient collection and recovery schemes in order to drive greater recycling rates. In many European countries, well-established routes for collection and recovery have underpinned the leading recycling performance of steel for many years.
But exactly where does steel make the difference?
Steel will always have a natural advantage due to its magnetic qualities which make it easy and economic to sort and extract from any waste stream. All it takes is a magnet.
In addition, steel scrap is an inherent part of the production process for new steel, so every single steel plant is also a recycling plant. No need to invest in specific recycling plants to which scrap must be transported long distance. Steel scrap can be recycled locally across the EU, making a valuable contribution to regional economies.
Should any steel scrap be lost in the sorting process and sent for incineration, its inherent properties means that, unlike certain other metals, it is actually recovered from the bottom ash and sent for recycling.
And steel really does recycle forever; with no loss of quality no matter how many times it integrates a recycling process.
It is vital that consumers appreciate the environmental value of recycling their used packaging as this is an important link in the chain. Steel has really managed to close the material loop. Steel packaging only has to integrate a recovery stream for there to be no waste to dispose of and the savings are, quite literally, limitless. |
