In Cornwall an estimated 450 tonnes of beverage cartons are put out for waste collection each year. They are currently disposed of in the residual bin and sent to energy from waste, the council explained
Bring banks
The bring banks are being supplied by trade group The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE UK), which represents some of the leading carton manufacturers, Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc.
The service is a two-year pilot being funded by ACE UK. All cartons and paper cups collected at the recycling banks will be taken to ACE UK’s specialist facility near Halifax.
The council advises residents to “wash and squash” cartons and replace the caps before placing in the bring banks – and only paper coffee-type cups should be deposited in the banks.
HWRCs
Cornwall’s HWRCs handle more than 80,000 tonnes of waste each year, of which more than half is sent for recycling, explained Cornwall council portfolio holder for environment and public protection Sue James.
“People have been asking about recycling food and beverage cartons for some time, so I’m pleased ACE UK are working with us to provide this service at seven of our HWRCs,” she said. “Having bring banks based at our HWRCs will allow people to bring their cartons with them when making a trip to their local centre.
“We know from surveys that residents want to be able to recycle more. While we can’t include this as part of our current kerbside collections we are asking the bidders for the 2020 kerbside collection contract to consider collecting additional materials, such as these cartons.”
Orginal Source
