Tetra Pak UK has launched a £300,000 fund to help local authorities establish carton recycling schemes as it seeks to dramatically increase the amount of cartons currently recycled in the UK.
The liquid food packaging specialist, which sold two billion packs last year in the UK alone, says the move follows extensive consultation with DEFRA, WRAP, LARAC (the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee) and other key organisations involved in consumer recycling. Leading sustainability charity Forum for the Future was also commissioned to identify the barriers to the recycling of lightweight packaging such as cartons, while extensive local authority research was conducted to assess councils’ propensity for carton recycling.
Tetra Pak says it will make funding available to local authorities and community recycling groups wanting to introduce carton recycling. They will be able to apply for money to help finance collection points such as bring banks, kerbside collection services, transportation costs and baling equipment. The company will support public awareness campaigns to help promote new schemes and is recruiting a dedicated recycling officer, Nick Mann, to help administer the fund. It is also talking to waste management companies, collection contractors and material recycling facilities.
Peter Knutsson, Tetra Pak UK md, adds: “We are committed to expanding carton recycling in the UK and to contributing to the UK’s overall recycling targets. We want to overcome the misconception that cartons cannot be recycled by providing financial help to local authorities who wish to provide carton collection facilities for people in their area.”
