Councils set to be rewarded for beverage carton recycling

A benefits package designed to support and encourage local authorities to increase beverage carton recycling has been launched by the Alliance for Beverage Cartons & the Environment (ACE) UK.


The package, which comprises an interactive map, a resources toolkit and the ‘Golden Carton’Awards, is available on ACE UK’s updated website and has also been designed to reward those local authorities that have made significant improvements in recycling beverage cartons.

Almost 90% of the UK’s local authorities currently provide a beverage carton collection service, either from the kerbside or through the industry’s own bring bank system, which historically have been recycled in a number of ways.

To coincide with the package launch, ACE UK has announced that it will be opening the UK’s first reprocessing plant in Halifax, West Yorkshire in September.

A partnership between ACE UK and Sonoco Alcore, the new facility will have the capacity to recycle 25,000 tonnes of used beverage cartons every year, creating a domestic market for beverage carton recycling and helping to drive up recycling rates.

In the lead up to the reprocessing plant opening, ACE UK hopes that more councils will use the online package to increase beverage carton recycling.

To assist local authorities drive up recycling rates, ACE UK’s website features an interactive map showing the beverage carton recycling services available in each council area.

The idea of the map is to help local residents find out what happens to their beverage cartons after they have been collected. It also highlights those local authorities that have already signed-up to recycle beverage cartons at the Halifax facility.

The resources toolkit includes a number of factsheets, case studies, photographs and videos, which councils can print off and use as a free communications resource to encourage residents to recycle beverage cartons.

Those councils that do sign-up to use the reprocessing facility will also be eligible to enter the newly-launched ACE UK Golden Cartons Awards; run annually they will recognise local authorities that have achieved the biggest improvements in recycling levels.

“By recycling beverage cartons, local authorities can increase the amount of household waste recycled, diverting material away from landfill, avoiding disposal costs and reducing associated greenhouse gas emissions,” said recycling operations manager at ACE UK Fay Dashper.

“While figures show that great progress is being made in the UK, there is still a long way to go and this benefits package is aimed at incentivising further engagement with beverage carton recycling, both with local authorities and residents.”

LAWR will be featuring an interview with Fay Dashper in a future issue.

Nick Warburton

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