Following the agreement of a protocol with the Environment Agency and SEPA, Alupro (the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation) said that the recovery rate for aluminium cans is now 42%. This raised some eyebrows in the industry but Alex Griffin, Alupro's operations director confirmed that the figure was a projection and was based on “the best possible estimates”.
The protocol will mean that Packaging Waste Recovery Notes (PRNs) can be issued for specific grades of aluminium scrap. This means that when a tonne of certain grades of aluminium scrap is recycled, it is accepted by all parties that a per centage consists of aluminium packaging, usually drinks cans.
Mr Griffin said that the 42% was the “best possible calculation based on PRNs issued for aluminium packaging and the four grades of aluminium scrap”. But added that not all of it was post-consumer waste.
The protocol has resulted from sampling of four grades of aluminium scrap. So that from January 1, 2001, accredited aluminium reprocessors can issue PRNs against the following percentages of scraps recycled: Old rolled 13.6%, mixed aluminium alloy cuttings 9.3%, new pure aluminium 6.2% and new scrap of one aluminium alloy 9.0%.
Alupro has said that with the new protocol methodology it has calculated an overall recovery rate for aluminium packaging of 34%, with drinks cans at 42% and foil at 16%.
Mr Griffin said: “We are confident that these per centages will be reached with the new protocol. The figures are a combination current measurements and the implications of the protocol. But we need to let it run for 12 months and see how many PRNs are issued. It is the same for all materials, until it has been running for a while we have to make estimates.”
Mr Griffin confirmed the 16% recovery for foil which is made of 11% material and 5% energy from waste and said that the aluminium sector will easily meet its packaging waste obligations of 18%. He added: “The overall estimate for the recovery of aluminium packaging is 34%, other materials are seeing similar sorts of figures which are not extravagant.”
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