Cartons are used a lot in the food and drink industry and are used for storing liquids like soups and drinks. They are made from paper and cardboard, but in order to for them to securely store liquids they also contain plastic or foil as a lining.
Printwaste can organise collections of cartons all over the UK. We collect food and drinks cartons from local council recycling sites as well as from many businesses. All used food and drink cartons collected are sorted separately for processing and sent to the UK’s carton recycling facility in Stainland, West Yorkshire which is operated by Sonoco Alcore.
Although they sound like a complex product that is difficult to recycle, at Printwaste we can recycle your used cartons.
Often, cartons are known by the brand of manufacturer such as Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc. Food and drink cartons are made on average from 75% virgin wood fibre in the form of paperboard, 21% polyethylene (a plastic film) and 4% aluminium. The exact proportions vary depending on whether they are being used for chilled or long-life products.
It is possible to separate the materials that make them up and recycle them individually – meaning that materials can be used again for a more sustainable future. Cartons that we can collect include (but are not limited to):
Recycling your used cartons has benefits to your business including:
There are plenty of storage options for your carton recycling. It doesn’t matter what quantity you have, Printwaste have a storage solution to suit your needs – whether you want an enclosed bin for your canteen or a large container for your local recycling area.