Some states record significant numbers in terms of can recycling, but the material thus obtained does not always remain in the sector. A study commissioned by the International Aluminum Institute highlights positive aspects and critical issues in the context of can recycling.

Properly recycling aluminium cans could lead to savings of 60 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, according to a recent report commissioned by the International Aluminium Institute. This study looked at the industry and the circular economy globally, focusing on evaluating can management systems in Australia, Cambodia, South Korea, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. The choice of these six countries is based on their ability to significantly represent various production and cultural modes.

EACH COUNTRY HAS ITS OWN RECYCLING

For each of the six states taken into consideration, various aspects were examined, including waste management, current regulations, collection structures, recycling and disposal rates, volumes introduced on the market, usage trends, overall performance, used beverage can trading, material flows and future goals. These six countries are divided into three main categories:

• Countries that rely on informal methods for collecting aluminium cans, such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, which rely heavily on large numbers of informal workers and experience high recovery rates thanks to the revenue generated from cans.
• Developed countries, such as Australia and South Korea, which base their waste management on complex systems such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) and/or return systems (DRS).
• Countries in transition, such as the United Arab Emirates, where collection infrastructure is largely developed, but mandatory or well-functioning EPR systems, as well as DRS, are lacking.

As a result, South Korea has the highest recovery rate of 96%, followed by Vietnam at 93%, Cambodia at 90%, Thailand at 86%, Australia at 74%, with the United Arab Emirates leading they record the lowest rate at 33%.

Aluminum cans remain the favorite in the alcohol and soft drinks industry, with global consumption expected to increase by 50% between 2020 and 2030 (i.e. 420 to 630 billion cans per year).

CAN-TO-CAN RECYCLING STILL STRUGGLES

The “can-to-can” recycling process of aluminium cans continues to encounter difficulties, as highlighted by Marlen Bertram, Director of Scenarios and Forecasts at the International Aluminium Institute.

Bertram says this comprehensive study confirms what was published in 2022, claiming that globally 71% or more of all aluminium cans placed on the market are recycled. Adding losses during processing, the recycling rate of aluminium cans increases to 79% in the six countries analysed. However, it should be noted that this figure refers to general recycling, which involves melting used cans into new ingots.

The main problem is represented by “can-to-can” recycling, i.e. the direct transformation process from can to can, which records significantly lower rates. In the case of Korea, the country with the highest recovery rate, only 37% of new cans are recycled using this approach. In this specific ranking, Thailand stands out with 78% “can-to-can” recycling, making it the best in this practice.