Improving the recycling rate of drinks cans used out of home continues to be a priority for the metals sector. As every drinks can is infinitely recyclable without loss of quality, capturing cans used in workplaces and on the go locations plays a significant role in keeping valuable metal packaging in the recycling loop.
Naturally, out of home recycling presents some challenges to most people its just not a priority! Within workplaces some employers struggle to engage staff, and in on the go situations the audience is mobile, recycling is not at the front of peoples minds, and the infrastructure is less well-established. However, experience has taught us that these challenges can be overcome.
In 2011 Every Can Counts, the industry-backed programme focused on improving recycling outside the home, accounted for 51 million used beverage cans collected for recycling, which equates to 774 tonnes of aluminium and steel collected from workplaces and on the go locations across the UK. 700 UK organisations are now running Every Can Counts branded drinks can recycling schemes to encourage staff and customers to recycle, and help achieve corporate sustainability objectives, such as zero waste to landfill.
The programme also supports the existing collection infrastructure; for example working with local authorities on projects to promote on-street recycling in town centres. It is also supporting the community recycling sector, with local enterprises offering can recycling services to businesses under the Every Can Counts brand, with revenue from the metal collected funding the service.
Appeal
The appeal of the programme is clear: To the business user it provides an attractive, branded programme which is easy to adopt and appealing to staff and customers. The evidence is that promoting recycling using Every Can Counts materials has a knock on effect and increases demand for, and participation in, recycling of other materials.
For waste management and recycling companies Every Can Counts provides an opportunity to offer an added-value service to customers. Its a measurable recycling system, meaning it can help towards certifications such as ISO 14001accreditation. It is also an effective way for organisations to demonstrate commitment to CSR and sustainability objectives to staff and customers.
Promotion
The real measure of any recycling programme is its ability to get consumers to act on the message. Simply putting a recycling bin in an office does not constitute a recycling programme; consumers need to be made aware that the bin is there, understand how to use it and be encouraged to do so. A key part of the Every Can Counts programme is providing branded communications material to make setting up and promoting a scheme as easy as possible. There are now over 5000 branded Every Can Counts collection points around the UK including offices, tourist sites and shopping centres.
The Every Can Counts model has recently been successfully replicated in five European markets, a testament to its strong consumer appeal. The broad appeal of Every Can Counts provides the beverage can industry with the opportunity to promote can recycling under a single brand identity across a wide, multi-cultural market. So as well as offering our funding partners – UK and European drinks can manufacturers, the aluminium and steel packaging and recycling industries, and energy drinks brand Red Bull – a great platform for demonstrating extended producer responsibility in the UK, it is also helping other countries develop their own away from home recycling programmes.
The achievements of Every Can Counts demonstrate that the beverage can industrys investment is poised to make a considerable improvement to the UKs metal recycling performance. Our plans for 2012 will see Every Can Counts continuing to play a pivotal role in driving out of home recycling rates, which will hopefully be felt on a European level too.
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