The recycling of packaging like the Tetra Pak is much less than the industry says
- A new study commissioned by Zero Waste Europe to Eunomia Research & Consulting reveals that the recycling rate of cartons for beverages is very low. The study "Recycling of multi-layer composite packaging: beverage board" concludes – using the updated EU methodology for the calculation of recycling – that the actual recycling rates of beverage carton packaging in the UK, Germany, Spain and Sweden are far from the official figures mentioned so far.
According to a new study commissioned by Zero Waste Europe to Eunomia Research & Consulting, in four European countries the recycling rate of cartons for beverages is very low.
The paper "Recycling of multi-layer composite packaging: beverage carton" calculated the recycling rates of beverage cardboard packaging estimated in 2020 in the UK, Germany, Spain and Sweden using the updated methodology for the calculation of recycling in the European Union.
According to the new study, the actual recycling rate in Germany is 47.8%, compared to 75% of the recycling rate and 87.4% of the collection reported by Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE).
The estimated recycling rate of cardboard in Spain was significantly lower, 21.5%, below the 80% estimate of the EFA, and the collection rate was 51.2%.
Sweden and the United Kingdom are estimated to have recycled 21.9% and 29.5% of their boxes, below the RCT estimates (33% and 36% respectively).
Beverage cartons are particularly difficult to recycle because of their compositional complexity. Although the materials used are technically recyclable, the cardboard format, which includes cardboard layers, plastic polymers and adhered aluminium, makes it difficult to separate these materials for recycling and reprocessing.
The report also reveals that the material sorting facilities present difficulties in identifying and separating packaging such as the Tetra Pak, and that in the specialized recycling facilities of these containers they lack the capacity to process them. All this affects the recycling rate.
In presenting the report, the director of Zero Waste Europe, Joan Marc Simón, said: "So far plastic has been people's main concern about collection and recycling, but this study shows that other complex materials like cardboard containers don't work much better. The European Union must develop clear guidelines and methodologies for channelling the new recycling targets that are already mandatory in Europe. Consumers are confused by so many false claims by the container industry about recyclability."
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