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10 SONOCO ALCORE


Pulp Paper & Logistics


Revival for UK carton recycling


Until recently beverage cartons used in the UK had to be exported for the recovery of their fibre. Not any more. PPL reports on a newly-opened joint venture


established in West Yorkshire. The plant at Stainland near


T


Halifax is a joint initiative between the Alliance for Beverage Cartons & the Environment (ACE) UK – representing the leading beverage carton manufacturers Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc – and paper and packaging producer Sonoco Alcore. It was officially opened at


the beginning of September by the UK’s Minister for Resource Management, Lord de Mauley. The UK has been without any


beverage carton recycling capacity since the Smith Anderson plant at Fife in Scotland closed after three years of operation in 2006. The Stainland operation is


capable of recycling up to 25,000 tonnes of cartons, some 1.25 billion or 40 percent of those manufactured each year for the UK food and drink market. The new


he UK’s first beverage carton recycling facility to be opened in nearly a decade has been


beverage cartons and UK carton recycling rates are expected to increase – making it much easier for consumers to recycle their carton packaging. The four key benefits highlighted


The UK’s Minister for Resource Management Lord De Mauley, chief executive of ACE UK Richard Hands and manager of Industrial Converting Europe at Sonoco Alcore Adam Wood officially opening the ACE UK carton recycling facility at Stainland


plant is expected to significantly boost recycling rates of cartons that were otherwise sent to landfill or exported to Sweden, Spain or Italy for processing. Sonoco Alcore will take


advantage of the strength and quality of the virgin wood fibres found in cartons by turning them into industrial-strength coreboard


at its paper mill located on the same site. This is then made into 100 per cent recyclable tubes and cores, around which is wrapped paper, man-made fibre yarns, and metal and plastics film for industrial applications. As the new facility offers a number of benefits to local authorities, kerbside collection of


by ACE UK are: • A clearly-defined domestic end destination for used beverage cartons – local authorities and residents can be assured their waste is being recycled in the UK. Previously, the best available solution for recycling used cartons was to export them to Europe • A stable price per tonne for


cartons delivered - a better, more sustainable option compared to the price fluctuations on the global commodities market • A reduction in road and rail miles travelled by used beverage cartons for them to be recycled. Previously cartons collected by ACE UK were recycled at mills in Sweden. Recycling cartons at the new UK facility instead will lead to energy savings equivalent to 122 tonnes of carbon dioxide • An opportunity for local authorities with no-export policies on waste to recycle cartons in the UK, rather than send them to landfill. When running at its full capacity of 25,000 tonnes per annum, the UK carton recycling facility has the potential to reduce landfill taxes and gate fees for local authorities by £3.6 million (based on 2013 levels), offering better value for council tax payers. Lord de Mauley said: “Dealing with waste and recycling properly is not only good for the environment but can boost


September 2013


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