The packaging giant has given 50,000 to social charity Apsley Paper Trail as part of 300,000 fund pledged by the company last April to increase carton recycling in the UK (see letsrecycle.com story).
” Our support will continue. We are working very hard to broaden our base. “
– Tetra Pak
Apsley Paper Trail will collect cartons from primary schools in Hertfordshire, as part of an existing “Paper Magic” paper collection scheme, and send collected cartons to Tetra Pak.
Cartons collected by the scheme had been destined for the Smith Anderson mill in Fife before its announced closure earlier this month (see letsrecycle.com story). Instead, Tetra Pak is considering alternative routes for collected cartons both inside the UK and abroad, including the sending of small amounts of cartons to paper recycling plants.
Support
Speaking today, a spokesman for the company told letsrecycle.com: “Our support will continue. We are working very hard to broaden our base by identifying alternative mills around the country.
“We are involved with trials to see how many cartons those mills can take. It will broaden our base give us a better solution in the long run,” the Tetra Pak spokesman said.
Carton recycling rates for cartons are low in the UK, because cartons contain aluminium and plastic as well as paper, which many mills cannot process.
Tetra Pak has insisted that all cartons collected will nonetheless be recycled, even if that means sending them for recycling abroad. The company's aim is to bring UK recycling rates to 10%.
Nicola Mann, Tetra Pak's National Recycling Officer, said: “With more than 250 million cartons of milk consumed in UK primary schools each year, there's a clear need to challenge the misconception that cartons cannot be recycled. That's why we've injected a significant amount of money in the 'Paper Magic ' scheme, as just one step along our recycling path.”
Pilot
Apsley Paper Trail will now offer carton collection to primary schools near its Frogmore mill in Hemel Hempstead, where it currently recycles paper from 200 schools for re-use in schools.
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The collection follows a pilot scheme in the Hertfordshire borough of Dacorum, in which 15 schools participated.
Jane Brooks, from Tudor School, Dacorum, said: “We've loved doing the pilot. Yes, it was a bit messy at first, and we did have a few children covered in water and milk, but it was a good learning experience. We used the project to encourage healthy eating – drink your milk before you can squash your carton – and for maths. We found that the school discards nearly 20,000 milk cartons a year!”
Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, added: “I'm really pleased to see what great work the children have done in school. They're setting us all a very good example and their interest will make sure the environment is being cared for in future.”
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