ACE UK PRESS RELEASE: Recycling Label Milestone for Liquid Cartons Welcomed by ACE UK

OPRL has recently confirmed that cartons used for food, drink and other liquids, including aseptic and chilled cartons, will carry its widely recognised ‘Recycle’ label from 1 April 2026. This marks a major milestone for packaging recyclability in the UK and follows England’s Simpler Recycling reforms, which mandates liquid cartons for kerbside collection by April 2026. This latest announcement will help households make informed decisions about their household waste.

The change follows years of investment and collaboration across the waste and recycling sector to improve household access to carton recycling, with kerbside collections now available in 69% of UK local authority areas. Evidence has now been provided to confirm that this figure will rise beyond the 75% level need to quality for the ‘Recycle’ label by 1 April 2026 at the latest.

The announcement coincides with new OPRL research showing that 89% of consumers look to packaging labels when deciding how to recycle, and 81% recognise the ‘Recycle’ symbol.

Liquid cartons currently carry a specialist label, which suggests that they should be taken to a recycling point, or that householders should check their home collection. The new ‘Recycle’ label will provide the public with much-needed clarity as more areas switch to a kerbside collection. In addition to the ‘Recycle’ label, OPRL states that large cartons should carry a ‘cap on’ call to action where relevant, and small cartons with straws can use the ‘insert straw’ call to action.

Ben Powell, Head of External Affairs at ACE UK, commented “This milestone announcement means that for the first time, liquid cartons will use OPRL’s widely recognised ‘Recycle’ label. This provides citizens with a simple message that we know is clear and well-understood.

“Through our Carton Ready Campaign, ACE UK is working with local councils to assist with the transition to kerbside collection. Through our research and ongoing relationships with councils, we were able to demonstrate to OPRL that kerbside collections from households are on course to exceed the 75% threshold by April at the latest.

“This is supported by the fact that the number of councils collecting at kerbside has grown from 66% to 69% in the past few months alone, this is progress that we are proud to be part of and demonstrates the success of the Simpler Recycling reforms.

“There is more work to be done, and for local authorities yet to make the switch to kerbside collections, ACE UK is here to help, so please get in touch.”

Notes to Editors

For more information on OPRL Limited’s announcement that liquid cartons (on shelf from 1st April 2026) will be moving to a recycle label, see here.

About ACE UK

The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK represents Tetra Pak, Elopak and SIG Combibloc, the leading manufacturers of liquid cartons for the UK and European markets. ACE UK’s objective is to promote liquid cartons as a renewable, fully recyclable and low carbon packaging choice and delivers environmental initiatives in the UK on behalf of our members.

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Media and further inquiries: ACEUK@instinctif.com