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Indsamling og genanvendelse af metalemballage fra husholdninger

Summary and conclusions

Background and Purpose

The revised EU Directive on packaging waste states that by the end of year 2008 EU Member states must recycle 50 percent of metallic packaging waste.

The Danish EPA estimates that this target can be achieved by recycling a larger amount of metallic packaging waste from households.

Previous studies show that waste incineration plants process about 90 percent of all household metallic packaging waste. When the incineration process is completed, preservative tins can be sorted out from the incineration ashes. However, a great deal of the metal will be lost in the incineration process, thus resulting in low recycling efficiency. Presently aluminium packaging waste processed at incineration plants is not being recycled.

The Danish company, Dansk Retursystem A/S, undertakes to collect, through Danish convenience stores, empty beer and soft drink containers originating from the Danish deposit system and empty beer and soft drink containers originating from cross-border shopping. There is no financial incentive for returning containers from cross-border shopping, since no deposit is paid. Consequently, the consumer is not likely to return such containers to the shops. One of the purposes of this study is to examine methods of encouraging consumers to return these containers into the recycling process.

The main purpose of the project is to examine how household metallic packaging waste (including empty beverage containers) may, from an environmental and financial point of view, be collected for recycling in the most appropriate way. In order to calculate the financial rewards achieved it is important that the potential offered by the proposed schemes is known.

Project Findings

Determination of the Potential for the Collection of Metallic Packaging Waste

The potential for collection of metallic packaging waste is 31,300 tonnes. The household waste amount of metallic packaging waste totals 20,900 tonnes. Cross-border shopping totals 10,400 tonnes. Waste analyses show that the household waste contains from 21,500 to 23,000 tonnes of metallic packaging; and approx. 2,500 tonnes is collected with other types of iron and metal at collection centres for household bulky waste.

Table 1 compares the potential for the collection of metallic packaging waste with the amount of metallic packaging waste in recorded waste flows.

Table 1 Potential and Recorded Flows of Metallic Packaging Waste. Tonnes

The data in Table 1 is subject to some uncertainty, particularly in the estimated breakdown between tin-plate and aluminium. Considerable regional discrepancies may occur in the cross-border figures, as distance to the frontier is a major factor in cross-border shopping.

Different Schemes for the Collection of Metallic Packaging Waste
42 municipalities operate collection schemes for metallic packaging waste. Several of these municipalities have more than one scheme. In about two thirds of the schemes citizens bring the sorted metallic packaging waste to a collection centre. The remaining schemes are pick-up schemes.

For three of the pick-up schemes the total amount collected is known. The amount collected varies from 1.6 to 5.5 kg per household per year. This is equivalent to 45 percent of the potential of metallic packaging waste from households. Another 12 different bring-in schemes have recorded data. Here the collection varies from 1.2 to 4.4 kg per household per year, which is a lesser amount collected than from the pick-up schemes.

An analysis of the packaging in selected schemes shows that at least 60 percent were beer and soft drinks containers. This is obviously more than beverage packaging accounts for of all household metallic waste – see cross-border shopping in Table 1.

The Collection of Metallic Packaging Waste could be a Very Profitable Business

In Table 2 the estimated financial results for the three different schemes covering the collection of metallic packaging waste are compared to no separate collection.

Table 2 Financial Results for the Collection of Metallic Packaging Waste, 2003

The different schemes clearly show a big difference in profitability. Bring-in schemes using cubes are substantially more expensive than other schemes. This is due to the reduced volume weight of the packaging waste and that individual household produces a relatively moderate weight of metallic packaging waste. However, specially designed bring-in schemes for decentralised collection centres may be made financially more attractive.

A bring-in scheme, where metallic packaging waste is collected at central collection centres, with other types of iron and metal, may prove to be a profitable business for the municipality. However, the tin found in tin-plated containers will reduce the quality of the collected iron and metal. The selling price depends on quality. Therefore, it is not necessarily an advantage to collect the containers with other types of iron and metal.

A Returnable Deposit Fee Is the Best Incentive for the Collection of Metallic Packaging Waste

The study shows that 40 percent of the population rarely if ever import beverages in non-returnable deposit fee containers. 16 percent state that they sort their beverage containers for recycling. Another 40 percent state that they do not sort the containers. 3 percent state that they dispose of the metallic packaging waste in other ways.

However, 80 percent of the households, which do not sort their beverage containers but put them into the waste bag, are willing to sort and bring the containers to collection centres, if this were made easier. 85 percent would do it if there was a returnable deposit for the beverage containers.

The tendency to throw away containers that do not have –a returnable deposit together with the waste is found to be more dominant among the younger age groups (15 to 34 years). This is the age group, which has the highest consumption of this product. Consequently, in this project this group is of particular interest. They clearly suggest that the introduction of a returnable deposit would encourage them to sort and return empty containers.

Cross-border Shopping is Essential for Viability

Due to cross-border shopping, 10,400 tonnes of metallic packaging waste is being imported each year. This accounts for approximately one third of the total potential in Denmark. The potential from beverage aluminium containers without a returnable deposit fee has been the driving force behind several of the collection schemes established by the municipalities in recent years.

Beverage containers are in high demand, because a relatively large number of them are made from aluminium. At the market a good price is paid for aluminium.

If the German Government decided to change its policy, so that cross-border shopping beverages containers were subject to a returnable deposit fee, this could bring the amount of such containers as waste almost to a stop in Denmark. Consequently, this would have a major impact on the future handling of the metallic packaging waste.

First, the potential would be reduced from 31,300 to approx. 21,000 tonnes. Secondly, the efficiency of the already established schemes would fall dramatically, since such beverage containers represent a relatively large part of the potential. Thirdly, the viability of the established collection schemes would deteriorate, because it is the beverage containers made of aluminium that improve the quality of the product sold to the recycling industry.

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Version 1.0 April 2004, © Miljøstyrelsen.