A new, €29 million recycling facility for post-consumer beverage cartons has commenced operations in Poland, offering the potential to triple the average recycling capacity of beverage cartons in the country, to 75,000 tonnes.
Located in Ostrołęka, the facility, which was developed by Tetra Pak and Stora Enso, provides the scope to absorb the entire volume of beverage cartons sold in Poland, as well as volumes from neighbouring countries.
At the site, Stora Enso will be responsible for beverage carton material separation, detaching fibres from polymers and aluminium.
The fibres are subsequently repurposed into cardboard materials, actively promoting material circularity by transforming utilised paper-based packaging into fresh paper-based packaging materials.
This paper recycling facility is complemented by Czech company Plastigram Industries, that, together with Tetra Pak, is industrialising a solution to recycle polyAl into new products.
Sustainable Solutions
“We are very pleased to see the results of our close cooperation with Tetra Pak, who, like Stora Enso, has the development of sustainable solutions at their core," commented Hannu Kasurinen, EVP packaging materials at Stora Enso.
"This new modern solution marks a significant addition to European recycling capacity and a concrete step forward in the circularity of consumer packaging. In addition to complementing the current scope of our production site in Poland, the recycling facility will significantly contribute towards the recycling and waste reduction goals of the EU’s proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation."
Circular Agenda
According to the two firms, the new facility will 'ramp up' recycling of beverage cartons in central and eastern Europe, reinforcing the beverage carton industry's willingness to commit to circularity goals.
"This is also an excellent example of how systemic and collective actions can help keep quality renewable materials in the loop - like paper fibres from recycled cartons," added Lars Holmquist, EVP sustainability and communications at Tetra Pak.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest packaging news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
