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The number of beverage cartons recycled in Europe increased
notably in 2007.
According to the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the
Environment (ACE), Europeans recycled close to 330,000
tonnes of beverage cartons in 2007, representing 32% of total
volume - an improvement by 7% over 2006.
“Our industry is committed to increase recycling levels of
our beverage cartons. This is why we encourage collection
schemes through partnerships with local authorities and drive
innovation for our products” - said Christian Verschueren,
ACE Director General.
In the UK, an initiative launched in 2007 between the beverage
carton industry association ACE-UK and local authorities enables
consumers to return beverage cartons to collection facilities.
This programme has increased the geographical coverage of
municipalities offering
carton collection from 20% to 85% in 18 months. The recycling
rate in the UK is expected to improve rapidly as the system
becomes established.
Recycled beverage cartons are used to produce packaging for
consumer goods. This process expands the life of the wood
fibres contained in the beverage cartons (an average of 75%)
and to optimise this renewable resource. Finally, it contributes
to alleviating the impact of climate change by reducing greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions from landfill. Recycled cartons are also
valuable raw materials for office stationery and tissue papers.
The industry is also continuing to innovate and improve its
recycling processes to recover the non-fibre part of beverage
carton packaging. As an example of more efficient recycling,
ACE member, Stora Enso, has invested in a new industrial-sized
polyethylene (PE) and aluminium
recycling plant in Spain. This project is being co-funded
by the EU LIFE programme and is supported by the Spanish Ministry
of Industry and the Centre for Technological Innovation.
For more information on the Alliance for Beverage Cartons
and the Environment - Click
Here
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