The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK and Sonoco Alcore will open a new beverage carton recycling facility in Stainland (near Halifax), West Yorkshire.
The plant, which is a joint initiative between the two companies, has the capacity to recycle upto 40% (25,000t) of the cartons produced for the UK's food and drink sector annually.
Paper and packaging producer Sonoco Alcore will turn the virgin wood fibers found in cartons into industrial-strength coreboard at its paper mill, which is located on the same site.
Later on, the coreboard is converted into 100% recyclable tubes and cores that are used to wrap paper, man-made fiber yarns, and metal and plastic film around for industrial applications.
Recycling cartons at the new facility is expected to reduce 122t of transport-related CO2.
ACE UK stated that by the end of 2013, another ten local authorities will also begin collecting cartons from their kerbside service to recycle them at the UK facility.
Sonoco Alcore Industrial Converting Europe vice president Adam Wood said that the company will use wood fibers from collected cartons to manufacture paperboard that can be used to produce recyclable tubes and cores for industrial applications.
"The new carton recycling facility is capable of producing enough material each year for 15,500 tonnes of new coreboard, enough to make 17.8 million average-sized cores and provide a consistently secure supply of material for our Company," Wood added.
