From aerosol cans for food to large industrial drums with crown caps, packaging steel is confirmed among the most recycled: 74% in Europe and 71% in United States; record numbers that testify to one thing: in the field of recycling of steel packaging, the Italian results are on the average with the top players, with 73.6% of the steel recovered, for a total of 320 231 tons, equal to the weight of 23 aircraft carrier “Giuseppe Garibaldi ” of the Italian navy. After the data on the beautiful country released in recent days by the Consortium RICREA (Consorzio Nazionale Riciclo e Recupero Imballaggi Acciaio), it is now up to Apeal (Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging), to release the European data for the recovery of raw materials from packaging, amounting to 2.7 million tons, that is 74% of the total. To understand how much this performance represents a record, just think that aluminum and glass are currently stuck at 68%, cartons (Tetra Pak types) to 39% and plastic at 35%, definitely a large gap that immediately establishes a new goal to reach: the target set for 2020, according to the secretary general of Apeal Alexander Mohr, is to reach 80%.Compared to the previous year, in 2013 again increased the coverage : the population served has increased, reaching 80% (+2%) and increased by 2.8% in the municipalities covered by the conventions ANCI – CONAI for recycling.
“These results – says Maurizio Amadei , president of RICREA – are the result of a stronger presence in the entire value chain, with the objective of promoting and facilitating the collection and recycling of steel packaging. Beginning with the support to municipalities to spread locally proper environmental education and collaboration with the various service operators of recycling to get a cleaner and more efficient collection…” “This year – concluded Amadei – we noticed an improvement in the quality of packaging collected, which in some cases allowed them to be sent directly to the steel mills for recycling without the need of an intermediate intervention by operators . ”
Looking overseas, in United States the tons of steel packaging recovered and sent for recycling amounted to 1.7 million or 71% of the total. Only in the automotive sector, according to the World Steel Association, the number of vehicles produced with material from the recycling of steel cans and containers shall be 85%, and 100 % of the steel of the vehicles today is able to return to where steel is melted and restart a new life, allowing to save about 1,400 pounds of iron ore, 740 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone per ton of scrap steel reconverted. More than mere numbers, they are exceptional results to protect the environment, but also in terms of cost savings for the industry and the consumer.
