Organisation of the collection and recycling system for aluminium packaging in Switzerland
IGORA-Genossenschaft für Aluminium-Recycling
Zürich, SwitzerlandNew on Amplifa
About IGORA
The IGORA Cooperative for Aluminium Recycling was founded in 1989 as a cooperative based in Zürich by companies from the beverage, food, pet food and aluminium industries as well as the retail trade. The occasion was the threatened ban on aluminium beverage cans by the Federal Council; the industry thereupon developed a private-sector, voluntary collection and recycling system. Its centrepiece is the advance recycling fee (VRB), which finances the collection logistics, collection compensations and communication. IGORA provides collection containers and can compactors, pays compensations to municipalities and collection points, and cooperates with sorting centres and aluminium smelters in Europe. Today, over 90 % of aluminium cans sold are collected and recycled; over 61'000 collection containers are in place across Switzerland. Compared with primary production, recycling saves around 95 % of the energy.
- Site
- Zürich
- Processes
- Organisation of the collection and recycling system for aluminium packaging, Provision of collection containers and can compactors, Collection compensations to municipalities and collection points, Advance recycling fee (VRB), Online shop for collection containers
- Materials
- Aluminium
- Founded
- 1989
- Employees
- 8
- Industries
- Recycling, Packaging recycling, Waste management
- 01
Providing collection containers and can compactors
- 02
Collection by municipalities and private collection points
- 03
Paying out collection compensations
- 04
Sorting in sorting centres
- 05
Recovery in aluminium smelters
Materials & Processes
Aluminium
Collected aluminium packaging such as beverage cans, pet food trays and food tubes is fed into the recycling process.
Locations
Zürich
CHRegistered office and business office
- Materials
- Aluminium
Industries
Additional services
History
- 1989
Founded as a cooperative in Zürich following the threatened ban on aluminium beverage cans by the Federal Council; launch of the voluntary collection and recycling system with a VRB of 5 Rappen per can; collection rate 31 %.
- 1999
Around 90 % of aluminium cans sold are collected and recycled.
- heute
Return rate for aluminium cans at approximately 90–91 %; over 61'000 collection containers in Switzerland; VRB at 1 Rappe per can.