Written on: March 1, 2026 by Sami Ki
While empty aerosol cans are recyclable, acceptance at material recovery facilities (MRFs) across the U.S. remains inconsistent. Operational concerns, safety perceptions, market uncertainty and uneven policy signals continue to limit broader participation.
To help address these challenges, RTI Innovation Advisors developed Yes We Can! A Practical Guide to Aerosol Recycling at MRFs for the Aerosol Recycling Initiative. This guide—also known as the MRF Playbook—supports the efforts of the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) to increase the recycling of empty aerosols across the U.S., with a goal of achieving at least an 85% recycling access rate for all aerosol cans by 2030.
The MRF Playbook is designed to help MRFs navigate the risks and concerns associated with aerosol can acceptance by supporting informed internal evaluations and collaboration across the recycling supply chain. It avoids a one-size-fits-all approach, instead providing credible, operations-focused information, grounded in real-world case studies to enable MRFs to evaluate aerosol acceptance within their own, unique systems.
The Playbook is organized into four sections that reflect the practical questions MRFs typically raise when evaluating new materials:
1. It begins with Personas, helping facilities identify where their operations fit and explore common concerns and opportunities associated with recycling aerosol cans.
2. The Benefits section outlines five key advantages of accepting aerosol cans, including both economic considerations and longer-term, future-proofing benefits.
3. The Risks section examines three primary risks identified through interviews with MRFs across the U.S., each illustrated by an overview and real-world case studies.
4. Finally, the Roadmap & Recommendations section distills these insights into a practical roadmap and four recommendations driven by the case studies.
To develop the Playbook, RTI worked closely with HCPA and CMI to examine both the current state of aerosol acceptance and the conditions needed to encourage future participation. Key questions focused on how MRFs evaluate aerosol acceptance in practice, including trends and barriers in acceptance, safety considerations and the influence of State and local policy. RTI also explored how MRFs define success when evaluating aerosol acceptance, including operational considerations and downstream end-markets.
RTI conducted interviews with 13 MRFs across 11 U.S. States, representing a diverse mix of public and privately owned facilities across geographic regions, including MRFs that explicitly accept aerosol cans, do not accept aerosol cans, and those that accept aerosols without publicly advertising acceptance. In parallel, RTI spoke with nine city and State officials to better understand how Government perspectives and policy considerations influence aerosol acceptance at MRFs.
For the aerosol and recycling industries, the MRF Playbook offers a practical, operations-driven resource rooted in the real-world experience. By documenting experiences and lessons learned, it helps facilities evaluate aerosol acceptance with greater confidence while supporting clearer communication across the recycling supply chain. As recycling infrastructure and policy continue to evolve, the Playbook provides a research-backed foundation for more consistent and informed aerosol recycling across the U.S.
Download and read the full MRF Playbook by visiting the Aerosol Recycling Initiative webpage.
If you have any questions about aerosol recycling or would like to get involved with the Aerosol Recycling Initiative, please contact me at ski@thehcpa.org. SPRAY
