Sep 13, 2007

Tetra Pak pushes for higher carton recycling rate

Tetra Pak UK hopes to offer beverage carton recycling in more than 70% of UK local authorities by the end of 2007.

The company currently offers recycling facilities in more than 50% of municipalities in the UK as part of its drive to decrease landfill from beverage cartons in Europe.

Beverage carton recycling rates have grown to 30% in Europe over the last decade, according to a report this week from the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE), of which Tetra Pak is a member.

Approximately 12 billion beverage cartons, representing 313,000 tonnes, were recycled in Europe in 2006, the report said.

"This is one of our practical responses to tackling climate change," said ACE president Erika Mink.

Combined recycling and recovery rates reached 639,000 tonnes within the EU, Switzerland and Norway.

Polish ACE members also signed a voluntary agreement with the food, juice and dairy associations, the packaging chain and the Polish environment ministry to deliver a 15% recycling rate of beverage cartons by 2014.

ACE focuses on technical innovations to recover the non-fibre components of the packs and encourages collections in countries without collection schemes.
Source: packagingnews

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