About Aerosols
Recycling Programmes for Local Authorities
A new initiative, the Aerofoil Programme, is a joint initiative involving Alupro, BAMA and Unilever.
Following the successful Aerofoil Programme involving Alupro, BAMA and Unilever, BAMA has joined the new MetalMatters initiative to take the awareness of recycling metals, aerosols included, to even more Local Authorities.
The MetalMatters programme targets Local Authorities with low metal recovery rates and through sponsorship and local initiatives such as leafleting, spots on local radio and personal intervention with Local Authorities and their waste management companies.
As at the end of 2012 87% of Local Authorities collected aerosols at kerbside
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
· Aluminium Aerosols are now accepted by several recycling companies 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) 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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