The poll shows that 93% of respondents would like to see more recycling bins in public spaces such as parks, beaches or on trails
The poll showed two-thirds of respondents think the aluminium can recycling rate is under 50% (Credit: Pixabay)
Europeans would like to see more recycling bins in public spaces, according to a survey conducted in 14 European countries by polling agency Lucidin, alongside the Every Can Counts initiative.
These results come off the back of 86% of people saying that it’s more important than ever to recycle – however, the chief obstacle to higher recycling rates is a lack of infrastructure.
The poll shows that 93% of respondents would like to see more recycling bins in public spaces such as parks, beaches or on trails.
That number moves up to 94% when people were asked about large events such as festivals or sporting events, while 90% said these events should only use recyclable packaging for drinks.
Every Can Counts Europe’s director David Van Heuverswyn said: “Most respondents are ready to do more when it comes to sorting and recycling the drink cans they consume out of home, but proper recycling and collection solutions are often too scarce.
“Collecting and recycling drink cans could be made easier in a number of cases, it can even be fun just as our European initiative shows, but it certainly makes a lot of sense as aluminium cans are made from a fully circular and permanent material that makes them the most valuable and recycled drink packaging,”
People have the most problems with recycling when they’re in public spaces, says study
The survey polled a sample size of 13,793 people in Belgium, Serbia, Austria, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Italy and France.
In this, people mainly have had problems recycling when out of the home, with 83% of respondents saying they always or often put their drinks packaging in the recycling bin when at home.
However that number plummets to 54% in the workplace – and only 49% do so when outside, while 48% recycle in outdoor locations like parks and beaches.
And, although 74.5% of the drink cans were recycled in Europe in 2017, the poll showed two-thirds of respondents think the aluminium can recycling rate is under 50%.
This shows that there is still more work to do regarding consumer knowledge, while awareness about aluminium’s circular properties is a similar case with only 55% of respondents correctly identifying the material as an infinitely recyclable packaging material.
Recyclability also plays a role in consumer behaviour, with 54% of respondents saying they prefer to use drink cans because they are easily recyclable.
This reason was also the strongest motivation when compared with others such as light packaging, easy to transport, open on the go, and easy storage.
It’s not surprising then that a total of 94% said companies should use packaging that is infinitely recyclable.