Steel packaging recycling in Eastern/Central Europe

Archiv – In 2004, around 60% of all steel packaging put on the European market was recycled.In 2004, around 60% of all steel packaging put on the European market was recycled. In Central and Eastern Europe, recycling performances ranged from 11% (metals) in Lithuania to 43% (steel) in Hungary according to the level of collection infrastructure in place. The most significant progress in metal packaging recycling was registered in the Czech Republic where the rate jumped from 29% to 37% in 2004.
These were among the key points to emerge from a seminar organised by the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL). Staged in the Czech capital Prague, the event brought together 35 experts, including steel and can manufacturers, brand owners and local packaging recovery organisations.
The European steel industry has made a concrete commitment to developing steel packaging markets in Eastern and Central Europe. Philippe Wolper, Managing Director of APEAL, comments: ’As demand for packaging in Eastern and Central Europe grows, more packaging, including steel, will have to be collected in order to comply with the national steel and metal packaging recycling targets. APEAL is committed to working with these markets to support the different packaging collection options that are best suited to the local market conditions and existing collection infrastructure.’