We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with the not-for-profit recycling programme Every Can Counts! The partnership will see both brands work together to help inspire and encourage drink can recycling amongst consumers in the UK.
Every Can Counts and its funders help raise awareness of the importance of recycling empty drink cans with marketing activities and on-the-ground consumer engagement. The programme also runs a Green Can Award scheme to recognise the recycling efforts of local businesses, community groups and charities. One of the aims is to make it easier for consumers to recycle their empty cans while they are outdoors, such as at festivals and public events.
Canned Wine Co. fully support Every Can Count’s mission to reach a 100% drink can recycling rate. Our founder Simon Rollings says “As canned wines are frequently consumed in outdoor settings, we want to explicitly encourage the recycling of aluminium cans. The partnership with Every Can Counts is an important pillar of our upcoming sustainability strategy, and we are excited to use Every Can Counts bins at events around the country to help more cans enter the recycling loop.”
Importance of Recycling Aluminium Cans
When choosing packaging for products it is crucial to consider the end-of-life treatment and how much of the material can be reused and recovered. In the waste hierarchy, the prevention of waste and re-use of materials come first. However, re-use of drinks packaging is of course not a feasible solution given the challenges around food hygiene, the intactness of the packaging and logistics. Therefore, the next best alternative is recycling!
Recycling aluminium drink cans in the UK happens in a closed-loop recycling system - meaning aluminium cans are melted down into so-called aluminium ingots, which are then used to make new cans. Fun fact: a drinks can can be recycled and returned to shelves within 60 days!
Here are some more great facts about recycling aluminiums, highlighting the importance of feeding more cans into the recycling loop:
- cans are infinitely recyclable with no loss of quality
- recycling aluminium requires up to 95% less energy than producing virgin aluminium
- recycling 1 tonne of aluminium saves 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 4 tonnes of bauxite compared to virgin aluminium
- the UK is on a positive trajectory towards increased recycling, hitting a record 82% recycling rate for aluminium in 2020
Given these benefits of recycling aluminium, paired with the reality of finite resources on our planet, we wholeheartedly want to be part of the goal of reaching a 100% recycling rate. Please join Canned Wine Co. and Every Can Counts by disposing of your drinks cans responsibly and help spread the message!
Written by Marieke Hammes
Sources
Alupro https://alupro.org.uk/industry/local-authorities/environmental-benefits/
Every Can Counts https://everycancounts.eu/can-recycling/
