Wash, squash and recycle. All of the materials used in the manufacture of beverage cartons are fully recyclable.

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After significant investment from ACE UK members, Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc, and years of working closely with stakeholders, almost 90% of UK local authorities now offer a carton recycling service – either from the kerbside or through the industry’s own bringbank system.

The UK is also set to have its own beverage carton reprocessing facility by the the middle of 2013, thanks to an agreement between ACE UK and Sonoco Alcore. This will encourage more local authorities to add beverage cartons to kerbside collections (currently at 50%), making it more convenient for consumers to recycle these valuable resources and, therefore, increasing recycling rates.  

Although cartons only account for a very small proportion of household waste (only 0.2%), there are a number of benefits to recycling them – not least diverting materials from landfill, and reducing raw material use and carbon emissions.

To find out how you can recycle beverage cartons in your area, click here to search our interactive map.