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THROWN AWAY/METALS:
ALUMINIUM & STEEL
source: europa.eu.int/comm/
environment/waste/studies/packaging/
epwms_xsum.pdf
www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/
InformationSheets/metals.htm
news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/
in_depth/world/2002/disposable_
planet/waste/weeks_waste/metals.stm
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Metal – such as steel and aluminium - is a waste component that can be recycled indefinitely without loosing any of their properties. - With a European Union* average consumption of about 11.2 kg per capita, the share of metal packaging amounts to 7 % of total packaging consumption. The predominant part of metal packaging ends up in household/municipal packaging waste. In 1997, the average recycling rate in the EU amounted to 46.0 %.
- Metal makes up more than 7% of US waste - from dog food cans and the linings inside milk cartons to zips on clothing. The US recycles 34% of the steel in its waste stream, and 35% of all metals.
Steel and aluminium recycling safe large quantities of energy... - Recycling aluminium saves 95% of the energy used to make the material from scratch. That means you can make 20 cans out of recycled material with the same energy it takes to make 1 can out of new material.
- If all the aluminium cans in the UK were recycled there would be 14 million fewer full dustbins each year.
- 1 recycled aluminium can saves enough energy to operate a TV for 3 hours.
- Every ton of steel packaging recycled makes the following environmental savings:
| iron ore | 1.5 tonnes | | coal | 0.5 tonnes | | water required in production | 40% | | energy needed to make steel from virgin material | 75% | | solid waste | 1.28 tonnes | | reduction of air emissions | by 86% | | reduction of water pollution | by 76% |
*Data refer to EU15.
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