Do I need to take the lid off my carton before
I recycle it?
This is one of the questions we get asked most often, so let us take some time to discuss it. Most people think that because the lid on your carton is plastic, it needs to be taken off before you recycle it, but this is actually not true!
Our recycling process is designed to deal with all the material that your carton is made up of. The system for recycling cartons is quite simple:
- Baled cartons are dropped into a pulper, similar to a giant
domestic food mixer, filled with water. - The cartons are pulped for around 20 minutes
- This breaks down the packaging to produce a grey-brown mixture
- The aluminium foil and polyethylene are separated from the
fibre (this includes the caps and straws). - The fibre is recovered to make new paper products.
- The aluminium and polyethylene are used to generate
power to fuel the mill.
So when you recycle your cartons, you can leave the cap and the straw on – you’ll probably find that it even helps to keep your carton squashed. If you take the cap off, use your finger or a spoon to lift the flaps out, flatten the carton, and then put the cap back on afterwards, the carton will stay flat in your recycling. This helps save space in the kitchen and means you can fit at least three times as many cartons into bins and collection vehicles, helping to keep trucks off the road!
If you are feeling imaginative, why not enter our
‘how do you squash yours’ competition. Come up with an
interesting way to squash your carton before you recycle
it and upload your film for the chance to win one of two
fabulous prizes.
See the
competition page for more information.
If, after reading this article, you still have questions
about carton recycling or any other aspect of cartons, have
a look at our FAQs on:
www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/tp_faqs.asp.
