The Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging APEAL announced that recycling of steel packaging in Europe has hit another all-time high of 85.5%, in 2020, up by 1.,5% YoY, for the 10th consecutive year in which the overall recycling rate has risen. APEAL Secretary General Mr Alexis Van Maercke said “The excellent recycling rate which steel packaging continues to improve upon each year is testament to steel’s strong environmental credentials and the work of stakeholders throughout the value chain to improve recycling processes, infrastructure, and consumer communications. It is also significant that more countries than ever before have recycled over 90% of steel packaging. It is a clear signal that closing the loop for steel packaging is within reach which another exciting step towards a truly circular economy.”Mr Van Maercke added “More needs to be done, however. APEAL’s vision, Zero steel packaging to landfill by 2025, remains unchanged and there are still a number of countries which have some way to go to reach the average recycling rate for steel packaging in Europe. Indeed, preventing recyclable packaging from being sent to landfill is one of six key policy recommendations in APEAL’s 2022 recycling report, published earlier this year.”It follows news of the adoption of the new EU recycling rate calculation methodology which guarantees that only the accepted tonnages at the entrance of the recycling operations are used to calculate the recycled tonnages, instead of collected or sorted tonnages. The new methodology is mandatory for 2020 data onwards, to be reported by June 2022 at the latest. However, several Member States will only be able to apply these new rules from next year onwards. 2020 data is therefore considered to be a transition year, but APEAL is confident that steel continues to lead the recycling rate for packaging materials across Europe.Steel is circular by nature. Magnetic properties make steel easy to collect from any waste stream and, as a permanent material, it can be recycled over and over again without any loss of material quality. In addition, 100% of recycled steel is used for new steel products bridge, wind turbine or even a new item of packaging in the 500+ recycling plants across Europe.
The Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging APEAL announced that recycling of steel packaging in Europe has hit another all-time high of 85.5%, in 2020, up by 1.,5% YoY, for the 10th consecutive year in which the overall recycling rate has risen. APEAL Secretary General Mr Alexis Van Maercke said “The excellent recycling rate which steel packaging continues to improve upon each year is testament to steel’s strong environmental credentials and the work of stakeholders throughout the value chain to improve recycling processes, infrastructure, and consumer communications. It is also significant that more countries than ever before have recycled over 90% of steel packaging. It is a clear signal that closing the loop for steel packaging is within reach which another exciting step towards a truly circular economy.”Mr Van Maercke added “More needs to be done, however. APEAL’s vision, Zero steel packaging to landfill by 2025, remains unchanged and there are still a number of countries which have some way to go to reach the average recycling rate for steel packaging in Europe. Indeed, preventing recyclable packaging from being sent to landfill is one of six key policy recommendations in APEAL’s 2022 recycling report, published earlier this year.”It follows news of the adoption of the new EU recycling rate calculation methodology which guarantees that only the accepted tonnages at the entrance of the recycling operations are used to calculate the recycled tonnages, instead of collected or sorted tonnages. The new methodology is mandatory for 2020 data onwards, to be reported by June 2022 at the latest. However, several Member States will only be able to apply these new rules from next year onwards. 2020 data is therefore considered to be a transition year, but APEAL is confident that steel continues to lead the recycling rate for packaging materials across Europe.Steel is circular by nature. Magnetic properties make steel easy to collect from any waste stream and, as a permanent material, it can be recycled over and over again without any loss of material quality. In addition, 100% of recycled steel is used for new steel products bridge, wind turbine or even a new item of packaging in the 500+ recycling plants across Europe.
