Metal Matters

What is Make Your Metals Matter?

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has joined forces with MetalMatters, an industry partnership comprising the UK’s leading producers, users and recyclers of metal packaging, to run the Make Your Metals Matter scheme.

A trial of the scheme was launched in the Goole, Howden, Pocklington and Market Weighton areas in October 2018 and from September 2019, the remainder of the East Riding will be involved. Leaflets will be sent to homes raising awareness on the importance of recycling metal.

Why recycle metal?

All metal is endlessly recyclable. Every part of it can be reused to create new metal packaging. It takes less energy to create new packaging from recycled metal than from raw materials. And the cycle can be repeated again and again.

Based on average households, more than 47 million cans, foil trays and aerosols are used every year in the Goole, Howden, Pocklington and Market Weighton areas. By simply recycling all of the metal packaging used, we would save around 1,284 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the equivalent to taking 273 cars off local streets for a year.

How is metal recycled?

Metal packaging is made of either aluminium or steel. Metal is separated into types at the recycling centre and sent for reprocessing. This involves melting the metal before it is then cast into ingots, ready for the manufacturing process.

Where does recycled metal end up?

The food or drink cans and other metal packaging items you recycle at home could end up being transformed into any one of a wide number of new products, from a designer watch or a smartphone, to a washing machine or even a new car.

The empty can you recycle today could be back on the supermarket shelf as another can in as little as 60 days.

What metals can be recycled in my blue bin?

Throw these metal items straight into your blue bin:

• Food and drink cans
• Foil trays
• Empty aerosols
• Metal screw tops – from glass bottles and jars
• Clean household aluminium wrapping foil – used for baking or wrapping leftovers.

Remember: Please rinse and dry any food packaging before putting it in the blue bin. You do not need to remove paper or plastic labels.

Find out more about blue bin waste.

What metals can be recycled at a Household Waste Recycling Site?

Not all recyclable metal can go in the blue bin. These items can be taken to your local Household Waste Recycling Site:

• Empty paint tins & lids
• Garden tools
• Pots and pans
• Crockery
• Nuts and bolts
• Door handles
• Bikes
• Electrical items.

Find your nearest Household Waste Recycling Site.

When are the Metal Matters roadshows?

A series of recycling roadshows will be held in Autumn 2019 - more info to follow. 

At each event, the council’s waste and recycling officers will be on hand to offer advice and information about recycling and household bins, but particularly about the recycling of metal packaging.