Alupro has produced an animated video to explain to consumers why it’s important to put the cap back on your empty glass bottle before recycling.

Screw caps on bottles of olive oil, wine and spirits are made from aluminium, which is endlessly recyclable. It’s valuable too, with Alupro’s research suggesting that around 5,000 tonnes of aluminium caps are available for recycling each year – worth £2 million at current material prices.

The ‘Leave Your Cap On’ campaign, in partnership with the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) and British Glass, encourages recyclers to simply screw the caps back on their empty bottles, as the metal can be easily extracted from the glass during the recycling process. The video, called ‘The Lonely Bottle Top: a story of endless possibilities’ is available on YouTube for local authorities to use as part of their recycling communications.

Alupro has produced signage for bottle banks and kerbside boxes, as well as a range of template materials for local authorities to adapt including a press release, social media posts and web copy, reminding residents to leave their cap on. To date 12 local authorities have used the materials on over 5,800 bottle banks and kerbside boxes.

Rick Hindley, Executive Director of Alupro said: “The message to the public is simple; screwing the top back on the empty bottle before recycling is the easiest way for people to do their bit to recycle this valuable material.”

He added: “The ‘Leave Your Cap On’ campaign complements the work we are doing to promote wider metal packaging recycling through the industry partnerships we manage, in particular the ‘MetalMatters’ programme. Supporting and working with local authorities and their waste management partners is a proven approach to really make a positive difference to aluminium recycling rates.”

To date, 53 Councils have taken advantage of the MetalMatters programme. Reaching 3 million residents in the past 3 years, MetalMatters is an integrated marketing campaign that motivates people to recycle more. Part-funded by industry partners, it’s a proven and affordable way for Councils to boost recycling.