Used juice and milk cartons now recyclable in South Africa:
Juice and milk cartons have long been one of the contributors to waste in South Africa’s landfill sites. In what is a major development for the South African paper and packaging recycling market, Mpact Recycling is pleased to announce that liquid cartons are now recyclable.
This follows the investment of R46-million in a Liquid Packaging recycling plant at Mpact’s Springs Paper Mill facility. The investment forms part of Mpact Group’s various recycling initiatives to increase available materials for all its mills.
John Hunt, managing director of Mpact Recycling, says it was previously not possible to recycle juice and milk cartons, poly-coated cups and wet-strength bags, as they are not made of typical paperboard.
“Although approximately 75% of liquid packaging content is paper to make it liquid-proof, the product is lined with low density polyethylene (plastic,) which acts as a water-tight barrier; a lining of aluminium foil which serves as a barrier to light, flavour, and oxygen, enabling the contents to last for months without preservatives or refrigeration; and a coating with kaolin clay to improve the printing surface,” he says.
The mix of plastic and metal (polyalu) meant that cartons could not previously be recycled as the polyalu couldn’t be separated from the paper of the carton.
“These need to be removed before the paper can be recycled,” says Hunt. “This was facilitated by two developments. Firstly, local liquid carton manufacturers have over the years redesigned their processes to significantly reduce the amount of plastic used in the packaging. Secondly, Mpact’s new Liquid Packaging recycling plant has the capacity to recycle 25,000 tonnes of used liquid cartons per annum and will allow us to produce approximately 18,000 tonnes of recovered fibre, which will be fed directly into our paper division for use in new paper products.”
To complement its initiatives to expand its own collection of recyclable materials, Mpact acquired Remade Holdings a year ago. In May 2016, the Group invested R350 million into Mpact Polymers to develop a plant that would process up to 29,000 tonnes of PET bottles a year. The company also invested R765 million to upgrade its Felixton mill, which will produce an extra 60,000 tonnes of paper from recycled fibre a year.
Mpact Recycling’s role, through its extensive collection network of paper, containerboard, PET and now liquid packaging, is to supply its mills with sufficient volume to match its capacity.
This is why it has embarked on a campaign to raise consumer awareness that juice and milk cartons are now recyclable, and they should put them in their Ronnie bags for kerbside collection.
Consumers must ensure the cartons are empty and flattened. Where there is no kerbside collection, they can deposit their recyclable items in their nearest Ronnie bank at schools or community centres or, alternatively, cartons can be delivered to any of Mpact’s buy-back centres countrywide or to one of its seven Mpact Recycling operations for payment.
“Liquid carton packaging provides a category of waste that can be recycled and will add considerably to land preservation in South Africa as consumers can redirect cartons away from limited landfill space.
“Whether you finish a carton of milk at breakfast or enjoy a boxed fruit juice for lunch, place your flattened, used container into your nearest recycling bin, whether at home, school or work. This way South Africans will be not only be doing their bit to keep the environment clean, but will also be helping to continue creating sustainable job opportunities throughout the recycling value chain,” concludes Hunt.
“This new carton waste recycling facility by Mpact is an opportunity for consumers to change their behaviour towards recycling,” says Rodney Reynders, Cluster Leader, Environment, Greater Middle East and Africa, Tetra Pak. “Mpact’s market-leading recycling facility enables consumers to participate more functionally in green practices through any of Mpact Recycling’s numerous collection facilities including kerbside, schools and communities to name a few.”
Penny Ntuli, communications director of Tetra Pak SA, says: “We have partnered with Mpact Recycling to raise public awareness about the recyclability of our carton packs, and significantly increase the volume of cartons collected and diverted from landfill sites. This is in line with our global environmental policy that includes minimising our impact on the environment.”
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