Tata Steel’s UK division is reminding consumers of steel’s vital role in packaging material to keep our food safe and fresh and reduce food waste. It is also a permanent material, which is infinitely recyclable in the steel-making process. Steel is a truly circular material for any application, including buildings, cars, and cans.
Why it matters: It is extremely easy for consumers to recycle their steel packaging, whether a pet food can, jar lid or bottle top, aerosol or cookie tin; all these can go into their curbside collection bin at home. And as steel is magnetic, it is also the easiest material in the world to extract from the waste stream.
Every steel plant is a recycling plant, and Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant, the largest steel maker in the UK, recycles around 500,000 tons of scrap steel each year, including the packaging steel from the household waste stream.
Tata Steel reported that the key message is that consumers play an essential part in maximizing the success of steel recycling programs. Their understanding of the importance of putting metal materials in the correct recycling bin – and their engagement to do so – are crucial to achieving a circular economy. It is something that needs to be communicated consistently by all industry stakeholders.