Greyparrot data shows aluminium aerosols sorted correctly 68% of the time, against 85.3% for cans

AI waste analytics firm Greyparrot found that aluminium aerosol cans are sorted correctly at recycling facilities only 68% of the time, versus 85.3% for drinks cans, based on 1.2 billion waste items analysed across UK, US and Netherlands plants. The findings, discussed with Biffa, Ball Corporation and Alupro, show aerosols arrive misshapen and shed caps and nozzles before sorting, and come as the UK's October 2027 deposit return scheme is expected to raise aerosols' share of aluminium left in kerbside streams.

Why this mattersAs the UK's deposit return scheme pulls drinks cans out of kerbside bins, recovery of non-beverage aluminium packaging becomes more material to secondary metal supply.

• Aluminium aerosols are sorted correctly 68% of the time at recycling facilities, versus 85.3% for drinks cans, a gap of over 17 percentage points.
• Analysis by waste intelligence firm Greyparrot covered 1.2 billion waste items, including 395,424 aerosols, at UK, US and Netherlands facilities.
• Including losses during household collection, Greyparrot estimates overall aerosol recycling at approximately 40%.
• 88% of aerosols arrive at sorting infeed squashed or misshapen because of compaction during collection.
• More than 96% of aerosol caps and around half of spray nozzles detach from containers before sorting.
• UK deposit return scheme for drinks containers starts October 2027; non-beverage aluminium faces a 50% recycling target by 2030 under EPR rules.

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