A recent study done for the British Aerosol Manufacturers’
Association (BAMA) showed that in the UK
nearly 70% of the population buy/use aerosols and 73% of those are
recycling. In the UK 87% of
municipalities accept empty aerosol containers for recycling, this is up
dramatically from only 7% accepting them less than two decades ago!
Similarly, the number of municipalities that accept empty
aerosol containers in the U.S. is increasing as well. In a recent webinar sponsored by Keep America
Beautiful, Consumer Aerosol Products Council (CAPCO) shared that more than four
billion aerosol cans are produced in the U.S. annually and more than 5,200
municipalities include steel aerosol cans in their recycling programs, serving more than 100 million people according
to the Steel Recycling Institute (more than 75% of aerosols are steel).
Fortunately, large cities such as New York City and San Francisco have included empty aerosol cans in their curbside programs for years. But there is still work to be done to increase awareness among consumers. It is important for consumers and municipalities to understand that empty aerosol cans are recyclable to increase participation in recycling efforts. The good news is that both steel and aluminum are infinitely recyclable and valuable, so the case for recycling them is strong.
Fortunately, large cities such as New York City and San Francisco have included empty aerosol cans in their curbside programs for years. But there is still work to be done to increase awareness among consumers. It is important for consumers and municipalities to understand that empty aerosol cans are recyclable to increase participation in recycling efforts. The good news is that both steel and aluminum are infinitely recyclable and valuable, so the case for recycling them is strong.
For example, steel food cans are currently accepted in 18,239
recycling programs already. If all those
programs also included empty steel aerosol cans, 193 million people would be
served—that’s about 2/3 of the U.S. population!
