About Aerosols
Pssst… what’s next?
A new initiative, the Aerofoil Programme, is a joint initiative involving Alupro, BAMA and Unilever.
This programme is designed to encourage still more Local Authorities to include foil and empty aerosols within their recycling mix via a series of direct approaches.
The campaign is being executed through face to face meetings with Local Authorities and waste management companies throughout the UK. Already 31 more Local Authorities (around half of those contacted) have agreed to change their current practices in readiness to include collection of foil, aerosols or both.
In addition to the local authority appeal, Unilever will be spreading the word with a communications programme to reach consumers with aerosol recycling information.
Aluminium recycling trade association, Alupro has revealed that 31 out of the 80 councils it has targeted under its campaign to get local authorities to begin collecting aerosols and foil at the kerbside have committed to add either one or both of the materials to their collections since the initiative launched in September 2009.
The Aerofoil campaign is timely and has gained impetus in light of the proposed packaging targets published for consultation in March 2010, which would require 70% of aluminium packaging to be collected for recycling by 2020.
The campaign is highly targeted and is concentrating on those Local Authorities whose recycling contracts are soon due for renewal. One important motivating factor for reviewing current arrangements and introducing collections of these materials, according to the Aerofoil campaign organisers, has been the pressure from householders wishing to be able to recycle more materials at the kerbside.
Aerosol recycling is benefiting strongly from the programme as, of the 31 councils that are signed up to the project so far, 21 are adding empty aerosols to their kerbside collections whilst eight are adding both empty aerosols and aluminium foil cartons.
More information can be found in the dedicated website http://www.aerofoil.org.uk/
Support For Local Authorities
If you are including aerosols in your recycling scheme, see below for materials (pictures, text, label artwork) to help you promote it to householders.
If you are not already including aerosols in your recycling scheme then the information below explains how to go about it:
Markets exist for the materials recovered from recycling aerosols, which can add revenue to your recycling schemes (as valuable commodities in their own right) and avoid landfill costs and taxes:
- Steel Aerosols are accepted by many secondary metals dealers including CanRoute run by Corus Steel Packaging Recycling.
- Aluminium Aerosols are now accepted by Novelis Recycling and secondary metals dealers.
Empty aerosols may be included in the domestic post-consumer waste recycling stream as long as some basic precautions are taken.
- Leave aerosols mixed in with other metal waste - do not segregate and concentrate them.
- Ask consumers to remove loose plastic parts such as over-caps/lids.
- Educate consumers to put only EMPTY used aerosols in can banks or kerbside collections.
- Consumers must not pierce or squash the cans.
- Ensure that you are taking the usual health and safety precautions for a well run Material Reclamation Facility especially ruling out sources of ignition.
- Although a flammable atmosphere can be generated within the baler or in the finished bales, tests show that this dissipates very quickly in the surrounding air.
You Should Be Recycling Your Aerosols (PDF - 2008) to find out more about including empty aerosols in your local scheme.
Post-Consumer Recycling (PDF) which provides best practice guidelines and answers frequently asked questions.
Contact BAMA for further advice and to request (free of charge):
A4 Can bank labels - email or by telephone on 020 7828 5111.
More advice on recycling is available on http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/
Recycling Artwork
Once you have included empty aerosols in your recycling scheme, you can use the resources below to help spread the word to householders.
Text
Click here for a Microsoft Word document that provides suggested text for you to use in your leaflets for householders.
Images
If you want to include some images in your recycling campaign literature, the images below can be downloaded. Click here to request high resolution images.
Low Resolution Photos
Kerbside Collection Labels
If you are going to include aerosols in your kerbside collection schemes and want to put a sticker on the side of the box to remind householders to include them, you can request the artwork pictured below. 
Simply e-mail us if you would like EPS artowrk or call us on 020 7828 5111 and they will be sent to you.
- A4 can bank labels are available free of charge in any quantity.
Leaflets (not for householders)
The leaflet 'You Should Be Recycling Your Aerosols' can be downloaded from this site or you can receive hard copies by e-mailing us (don't forget to include your postal address) or calling on 020 7828 5111.
Guidance Documents (not for householders)
You can download the BAMA Guide 'Recycling Post Consumer Aerosols' from this site (you will need Adobe Acrobat to read this document) or request copies by e-mail or by calling 020 7828 5111.
We also have a number of health and safety reports that you may find useful. To establish which of these is the most appropriate for your needs, please contact us on 020 7828 5111.
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