Corus Promotes Steel Can Recycling Projects

Corus Steel Packaging Recycling, a division of Corus, one of the largest steel companies in the world, has launched its annual PRN report for the year, highlighting the progress achieved in steel can recycling as a result of the company’s PRN investment.

Entitled Targeting Recycling, touches on a number of steps and investments that the company has taken to improve the amount of steel cans that are collected for recycling in the United Kingdom.

Corus provides this investment using revenue derived from the sale of Packaging Recovery Notes, which packaging chain companies are obliged to hold as evidence that their legal responsibility to recover and recycle quantified tonnages of packaging has been fulfilled. PRNs are sold by companies such as Corus either to an obligated company or to a Compliance Scheme acting on their behalf.

A highlight of the report is the rise in the number of steel cans collected through Corus’ ‘CanRoute’ system – a number of dedicated centers that route cans from local authorities and the scrap industry to Corus’ five reprocessing plants. Last year, there was an 80 percent increase from 2003 levels in the recovery of steel cans through the program, with 25,000 metric tons of steel cans being sent back to Corus. 

Corus has also invested PRN funds into strategic planning and development, including studies that aim to identify means of building on current steel packaging recycling success and ensuring that the 2008 recycling targets are met. 

These studies included:

Packflow 2008 – a study commissioned by Valpak to identify the levels of steel packaging in the waste stream, how much more will need to be recycled by 2008, and the need for local authorities to increase collections from the domestic waste stream.

Corus commissioned a study to identify the extent of the increase in energy from waste plants and the potential recovery of steel packaging through this method. The research demonstrated that about 30,000 metric tons of additional steel could be recovered through this method by 2008.

Last year Corus promoted a study with the DTI into the economic benefits of including metal packaging in curbside collection programs. Results of the research showed that including metals in curbside collection systems can deliver significant economic benefits to local authorities.

 “Corus will continue to invest PRN revenue to keep this momentum going.  Strategic planning is a key element of this so, as well as investing in the UK’s recycling infrastructure, the next 12 months will see a shift towards an emphasis on participation. We need to work with local authorities to help raise householders’ awareness of the recyclability of steel and to encourage participation,” said John May, manager of Corus.