Written on: January 1, 2026 by Nicholas Georges
When developing the Aerosol Recycling Initiativei, the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) envisioned a future where consumers and workers could easily recycle empty aerosol containers and feel confident in the process.
With several U.S. States now implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies, and more expected to follow suit, it has been increasingly important to ensure that empty aerosol containers remain recyclable. To date, HCPA and CMI have successfully secured the inclusion of aerosol containers on statewide recycling lists. However, Oregon—currently the furthest along in the implementation process—initially classified aerosol containers as products to be collected only through drop-off programs, rather than through curbside collection. This approach would significantly increase EPR fees for aerosol containers in Oregon and could set a negative precedent for other States.
HCPA argued for the inclusion of aerosol containers in curbside recycling programs and made a compelling case that led the Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to postpone requiring aerosols to be collected through drop-off programs until 2028.
To demonstrate that empty aerosol containers can be safely accepted through curbside recycling, the Aerosol Recycling Initiative has been collaborating with the Circular Action Alliance (CAA) to develop messaging that informs consumers about how to properly empty their aerosol containers before recycling. The messaging instructs consumers to either use the product until the container is empty or take it to a household hazardous waste (HHW) collection site.
The development of this messaging is only one component of a much larger effort. In collaboration with CAA, the Aerosol Recycling Initiative has partnered with Far West Recycling—which operates a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in the metro-Portland, OR, area that accepts aerosol containers—to assess the effectiveness of the messaging by conducting container residue testing. Over the course of a week during the Summer, Far West Recycling collected two totes of aerosol samples and shipped them to Recycle Aerosol LLC in Bells, TN, where specialized equipment was used to measure residue levels. The first set of samples was intentionally collected before the messaging was released to establish a baseline measurement that will allow us to determine the impact of the behavior-change campaign.
Unlike the testing conducted in 2023, in which each sample was evaluated individually,ii this round of testing used Recycle Aerosol’s equipment to assess all samples collectively, providing aggregate results. Steel and aluminum aerosol containers were sorted separately. During the sortation process, we recorded key information for each sample, including product type, container type, container integrity, whether the container felt empty in accordance with the consumer messaging and recycling information on the product label.
Testing Results
A total of 2,385 aerosol containers were collected and tested. The material breakdown was as follows:
Aggregate Residue – 10.7%
Product Sector Breakdown
Does the container “feel” empty?
To evaluate the effectiveness of our messaging, we plan to conduct at least two additional rounds of testing using samples collected from Far West Recycling. These measurements will allow us to compare future results against our baseline data and understand the impact of the consumer messaging. Ultimately, we hope the findings will demonstrate to Oregon DEQ that aerosol containers can be safely recycled through curbside programs, helping keep EPR fees low for aerosol manufacturers and marketers.
I would like to thank the sponsors of the Aerosol Recycling Initiative for providing the funding that makes this work possible. I would also like to acknowledge Recycle Aerosol LLC for supporting the Initiative by allowing us to measure residue levels at their facility, and HCPA member company Diversified CPC for contributing resources to develop the graphics used in the educational materials.
If you would like to get involved, please contact me at ngeorges@thehcpa.org. SPRAY
i link
ii To learn more about the testing we conducted in 2023, please see the Aerosol Recycling Initiative White Paper here
