e-Digest Statistics about: Waste and Recycling
Resource recovery and recycling of materials from waste streams
Aluminium
The weight of aluminium scrap recovered and reused in the UK can be seen in Table 15. Large year-on-year fluctuations in apparent consumption gave rise to similar large fluctuations in the recycling rate, despite a continuing steady rise in secondary production. The fluctuations in estimated home consumption arise because of large fluctuations in the quantities of imported primary aluminium. The aluminium is often not used by industry in the year of import, but is stockpiled and when used for consumption in later years can give a misleading impression when calculating scrap reused as a percentage of consumption. Furthermore, large increases in apparent consumption, for example in 1993 and 1994, can be due to high levels of imports of cheap new aluminium.
Table 16 shows the weight and number of aluminium cans consumed and recycled, through the Aluminium Can Recycling Association's scheme. Since 1995 the number of aluminium and mixed can banks is taken from the DEFRA/NAW survey of municipal waste management by local authorities in England and Wales. The apparent increase in the number of can banks in 1995 is due to the use of this more accurate data. Generally, the recycling of aluminium cans continues to increase whilst both production and consumption decrease. The decline in production and consumption reflects competition from plastic bottles and from non-returnable glass.
In Detail:
Further Information:
- Key Facts:
- Materials recycling compared to consumption
- Sustainable Development Indicators:
- Framework Indicator: Waste
- Framework indicator: Resource use
Data Tables:
| Table
No. |
Title | Download
file type |
| 15 | Weight of aluminium scrap recovered and amount of post-use scrap recycled as a proportion of consumption: 1984-1998 | |
| 16 | Aluminium can recycling: 1989-2001 |
- Internet Links:
- Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation, including 'Cash for cans'
- Aluminium Federation (ALFED)
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Page last modified: 16 September 2003
Page published: 10 September 2003