UK Aluminium industry brings recycling message to schools

LONDON (Scrap Monster): The Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation Alupro, and Aluminium Federation ALFED have pooled their resources to develop a new education initiative challenging students in the UK to realise the design potential and its sustainability benefits of aluminium.

Endorsed by the Design and Technology Association, DATA, a free teaching resource – the Alu D&T Challenge – is aimed at students between the ages of 11 and 14 in UK secondary schools.

The Challenge aims to reflect the aluminium industry’s commitment to promoting recycling and delivering “lasting behavioural change”, according to Alupro executive director Rick Hindley.

As well as providing information and lesson plans for teachers, students are challenged to design a sustainable item using aluminium, based upon one of four themes: transport, built environment, packaging and technology.

Schools can also enter the designs into a national competition, which will be judged by a panel of industry and design experts.

“The Alu D&T Challenge will help teachers raise students’ awareness of the value of aluminium and the importance of design for recyclability, to deliver both economic and environmental benefits,” says Hindley.

“Aluminium is used in almost every aspect of modern life, from food and drink packaging to buildings and in aerospace. Its material properties offer many benefits to designers, but perhaps most importantly it can be recycled endlessly without any loss in quality.”

School teachers will be able to enter their students’ designs into the Alu D&T Challenge competition until 23 November.

Prizes include a RapMan 3.2 3D printer kit for winning schools in each category, and a cash prize for the students, winners to be announced in January 2013.