To raise awareness of the excellent recycling properties of aluminium and the extent of its scrap potential in the building sector, in 2004, European Aluminium commissioned the Delft University of Technology to conduct a study on the collection of aluminium from buildings in Europe. The study identified remarkably high aluminium collection rates, which implicitly signify similarly high recycling rates. The average collection rate of the 9 studied buildings was more than 95%, demonstrating aluminium’s pivotal role in a circular built environment.
More recently, European Aluminium has launched a series of case studies to investigate the current collection rate of aluminium building products at their end-of-life in Europe. The first two case studies in Germany (98.3%) and The Netherlands (99.3%) confirm the high collection rates first observed in the 2004 study. Further case studies will be conducted to deduct a current average collection rate of aluminium building products at end of life.