Recycling target in the can

Salvage, dismantling and recycling company SYNETIQ has reported that it extracts about 5,200 tonnes of aluminium during the vehicle recycling process each year.

This would be enough to create 346 million drinks cans.

The company redistributes it back into the supply chain as part of its integrated, circular recycling model, ‘Our Road to Tomorrow’.

Ray Curry, operations director, said: “We’ve invested in equipment and procedures to help us extract the maximum amount of reusable material from the vehicles we handle. Aluminium recovery is a key element of this process, as the material is 100% recyclable. That means we create new CO₂ savings every time we recycle it.”

Using recycled Aluminium reduces CO₂ emissions by 92%, compared to raw material use, and saves 95% of the energy needed for primary production, according to a 2020 report by the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation.

Curry said: “For us, recycling is always the last remaining option. Avoiding waste is our priority, so if a vehicle or part can be reused for its intended purpose in its current form, that’s the route we’ll choose.”

Over the last two years, the business has helped clients avoid 5.5 million kilograms of CO₂ through the supply of green parts alone – the equivalent CO₂ of powering 662 homes for one year.