APEAL (the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging) releases the latest European steel recycling figures. In 2011, 2.6Mt of steel packaging were recycled to make new steel products, corresponding to an average European rate of 74%.
2011 reinforces the long term trend for steel as the most recycled packaging material in Europe. Indeed the last 20 years have seen a threefold increase in packaging steel recycling thanks to a combination of steel’s infinite recyclability, the ease with which steel can be recovered magnetically, and an understanding of the resource and emissions savings to be gained.
A tonne of recycled steel saves over one and a half times its weight in CO2 emissions. A tonne of recycled steel uses 70% less energy than producing steel from ore.
In 2011 households across Europe saved the equivalent of almost half Belgium’s annual electricity consumption by recycling packaging.
Steel remains the most recycled packaging material in Europe compared to Plastic (33%), beverage cartons (37%), aluminium (67%) and glass(70%) according to latest available data.
The methodology and data sources used for the calculation of the European steel recycling rate have been once again reviewed independently by the energy and waste specialist consultancy, Eunomia, who confirm the credibility of APEAL’s methodology and data.
www.apeal.org and www.steelforpackaging.org