Why Tin Is One of the Most Recyclable Packaging Materials

Brands are under growing pressure to show that their packaging does not end up as waste. Tin containers have a strong answer to that question, because the material they are made from is among the easiest of all packaging materials to recycle.

It is mostly steel

A tin container is made from tinplate: steel with a thin coating of tin. Steel is the most recycled material in the world, and recycling plants already exist to take it back. Used tins do not need a special collection stream.

Magnets do the sorting

Steel is magnetic. At a sorting facility, powerful magnets pull steel tins out of mixed waste, which makes them cheap and reliable to recover. Many other packaging materials have to be sorted by hand or by optical machines.

It can be recycled again and again

When steel is melted down, it does not lose strength or quality. A recycled tin can become a new tin, a car part or a beam, and later be recycled again. That is very different from materials that degrade each time they are reprocessed.

Tins are often reused before they are recycled

In India especially, a sturdy tin with a good lid rarely goes straight in the bin. It becomes storage for grains, spices, tools or sewing kits. That second life keeps your brand in the customer’s home long after the product is finished.

What you can tell your customers

• Your packaging is made from steel, which is widely recycled.
• Empty tins can go in metal recycling, or be reused at home.
• A strong, reclosable tin protects the product, which reduces waste from spoilage and breakage.

Looking for packaging that fits a sustainability goal? Browse our tin containers or contact our sales team.