Did you know? Drink cans are one of the most recycled beverage containers on the planet! But what percentage of drink cans are recycled in the UK?
82% of drink cans sold in the UK in 2021 were recycled, matching the record high rate set in 2020 when recycling was made easier for many due to the COVID-19 national lockdowns and ‘stay at home’ guidance.
Click here to read the full news release by Alupro, the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation, announcing the 2021 UK aluminium packaging recycling rates.
Chris Latham-Warde, Programme Manager for Every Can Counts, said: “These new figures are really encouraging. It’s fantastic to see that, despite people returning to life ‘on-the-go’ and despite a growing domestic market, more than four out of five of the drink cans sold in the UK are still being recycled.
“We now need to keep up this momentum and raise the bar even higher. Recycling our empty drink cans is something we can all do for the benefit of the environment. It might be a small action, but keeping that valuable aluminium in circulation really does make a difference.”
How to Help Us Boost the Percentage of Drink Cans Recycled in the UK
As we continue to work towards our vision of a 100% recycling rate for drink cans, here are some of the ways you can help:
- Keep recycling your drink cans (especially while you’re on the go)!
- If you can’t find a recycling bin while you’re out and about, take your empty can home with you and pop it into your curbside recycling bin.
- Recycling drink cans really is as simple as that!
How We are helping to Boost the UK Drink Can Recycling Rate
- We aim to encourage consumer behaviour change by raising awareness of the benefits of recycling drink cans
- We also partner with businesses and organisations to make it easier for people to do the right thing with their empty cans.
- After recent awareness campaigns in London’s Covent Garden and Newcastle city centre, we are now gearing up for a busy summer at events and festivals across the country.
Incredible Facts About Drink Cans
- Drink cans are currently the UK’s most recycled beverage container.
- Drink cans are able to be recycled, filled and back on a shop shelf in just 60 days, thanks to the efficient recycling infrastructure in place across Europe.
- Aluminium (the metal that drink cans are made from) recycles forever!
- Recycling drink cans uses 95% less energy than creating new ones from primary aluminium.