As in 1997, just over 50% of steel packaging material in Europe (*) was recycled to produce new steel, for the complete range of steel products, including packaging.

Germany is still at the top of the European league for steel packaging recycling with a rate of 81%, followed by Sweden (71%) and Austria (70%). In France, thanks to the ease of magnetic sorting of used steel packaging from the waste stream, the recovery rate has increased to 47%. In the UK the recycling rate reached 25%, closely followed by Spain with 24%.

A national network of collection centres, CanRoute, has just been launched by British Steel in the UK, with the aim of promoting the collection and recycling of steel packaging from household sources.

In Belgium, the recycling rate for metal packaging (steel and aluminium) has increased markedly to reach 64% in 1998, following the extension of the selective collection schemes managed by Fost Plus.

In the Netherlands, the recycling rate of metal packaging for 1998 reached 78% and metal packaging is set to exceed the 80% recycling target foreseen for 2001 (Covenant II). Luxembourg has reached a 10% recycling rate for all metal packaging.

Steel is one of the most straightforward materials to sort due to its unique magnetic properties. In Europe, sorting and composting centres as well as Municipal Solid Waste incineration units are the most commonly used for the sorting of packaging from multi-material kerbside collection or from integral collection. These are commonly equipped with electro-magnets which allow steel to be extracted from the waste flow. Voluntary, multi-material bring systems (container parks, can banks) contribute to a lesser extent to the recovery of used steel packaging.

The minimum recycling rate per material, 15%, stipulated by the Directive of Packaging and Packaging Waste, is being achieved by steel in numerous European countries.