Written on: August 1, 2025 by SPRAY
As part of an initiative to improve the recycling rate of post-consumer aerosols, a three-month analysis project commenced on June 2 to gather valuable curbside waste composition data from households across Solihull, UK.
Funded by Alupro through the UK Aerosol Recycling Initiative (UKARI) and facilitated by Suez Recycling & Recovery UK, the initiative will see fully comingled material streams analyzed by Sherbourne Recycling. Current capture, sorting and recycling volumes will be measured, with a specific focus on aerosol containers.
Once complete, a targeted communications program will be rolled out to households across the region, promoting best practice recycling guidance. With the specific aim of improving education and driving positive behavioral change, collection data will be closely monitored to measure the direct impact of proactive communications.
The data will be combined with insight from two further local authority trials, which are set to take place later this year. Alongside measuring the real-world impact of communication on consumer recycling behavior, the program aims to provide a representative picture of the UK’s residual waste composition.
Tom Giddings, Executive Director of Alupro, commented, “Research suggests that householders are widely unsure about how best to recycle aerosols, citing concerns over pressurized containers as a major factor. As a result, far fewer units are collected curbside than most other forms of metal packaging.
“Gathering data and understanding waste composition is an important first step in tackling the issue. Thanks to our collaboration with Suez, we’ll be able to not only access this valuable insight, but also test the direct impact of communications initiatives on consumer recycling behavior,” he added.
Tom Merry, Suez Commercialization & Innovations Manager, added, “In a post-Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) world, new targets set to be announced under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation will require 50% of aluminum packaging (excluding beverage cans) to be collected for recycling. It’s therefore imperative that we maximize the recycling rates of aerosols through establishing a baseline recycling rate and improving public understanding.
“We’re pleased to be working with Alupro to drive forward this initiative and aim to share best practice with the sector through our research findings.”
Following the trials, Alupro and SUEZ will continue their partnership to build further knowledge around the challenges of sorting and analyzing aerosols collected through the curbside system, as well as to trial practical initiatives to positively impact national recycling rates. More info here. SPRAY
