Aluminium sector “does not support” digital deposit return scheme
Alupro, the not-for-profit organisation representing the UK’s aluminium packaging industry, has said it does not support a digital DRS (DDRS).
A DDRS is an alternative deposit return scheme (DRS) model where instead of containers being taken to return points by consumers, deposits are redeemed by scanning QR codes printed on containers which can be recycled through existing systems, such as kerbside collections.
Alupro says aluminium cans are typically contaminated with undesirable materials like plastic when sourced from UK kerbside co-mingled collection systems. This means they require additional sorting to remove these “non-target” elements, which Alupro says adds costs and waste to the recycling process that could be avoided if the cans were collected through a conventional DRS.
This is why Alupro says the industry is opposed to a DDRS proposal. The aluminium industry has an ambition to recycle 100% of aluminium cans by 2030. Alupro says a well-designed DRS, such as the schemes in Finland and Denmark that are based on a “return-to-retail” structure and return vending machines (RVMs), is a “key instrument” to achieve this target.
