Recycling Tetrapak (merged)

Hi All

I wrote to innocent drinks asking about tetrapak as my borough doesn't recycle it. If anyone else is as hooked on Innocent juices as me they might want to lobby their council to start recycling tetrapak (if they don't already).

Esthomizzy

Hello Elmy,
Thanks very much for your email. The reason we use cartons is that they ensure that our drinks remain fresh which means less waste. This has a large positive environmental impact as wasted food is wasted energy. As importantly, they use very little material (extremely light) and are made from sustainable resources (managed coniferous forests to ensure the trees are constantly regenerated).
A lifecycle analysis of tetrapak versus PET plastic (recycled or not) shows Tetrapaks puts a lighter load on the environment overall due to much less processing of source material (ie trees not oil) and much less transport emissions and energy usage. Added to the fact that they are carbon neutrally made, (tetra have been carbon offsetting since they began), we think that although they're difficult to recycle they are better for the environment overall.
Despite most people thinking otherwise, our cartons are fully recyclable. The issue is that most UK councils currently don't recycle them, in the same way that most councils didn't take plastic bottles 5 years ago. In Scandinavia over 60% of cartons are recycled, the EU average is 28%, but in the UK it is less than 2%. Cartons are a great packaging format, we just need to put pressure on our respective councils to pick them up as well as other recyclable materials. If you want to help, we've made a template for a letter you can send to your council, which can be found at http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/drinks/council.htm

Up until June 2006, lots of the UK's carton recycling happened at a paper mill in Fife called Smith Anderson. Unfortunately this mill has now been closed. What a pain. However, Tetra Pak remain committed to recycling all post-consumer drinks cartons (including ours), and all of their factory waste too. Collection is still happening with over 10% of the country now covered by a collection scheme. They even have a National Recycling Officer, Nick Mann and have given her £300,000 to help increase recycling in the UK.
The goal for the end of 2007 is to have 70% of the UK covered with viable collection points or schemes, working out of the four paper mills (North, South, East and West in the UK) currently under trial. For your interest, you can see a list of those UK areas that are collecting and the type of collection they run here, as not all of these schemes are run through the Local Authority e.g. there are some bring-bank schemes at retailer sites. More information and updates can be found at https://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk

As it sounds like none of this covers you, there is the option to download some address labels and post them off to be recycled at Perry's Recycling in Somerset. It's important to use the labels because the platypus on them lets them know that it is cartons to be recycled and not normal post. You can find them here http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/pdf/labels_oct_06.pdf

We know that this isn't the perfect answer, but we've decided that causing more environmental damage by switching to more plastic to get round the difficulties of tetrapak recycling will never help change the status quo. The more people, like yourself and us, that keep the pressure up on getting the recycling facilities made available, the better it will be for the environment in the long run.
I hope this helps and that you have a great Christmas break,
Tansy

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tansy drake
people's champion

innocent ltd
fruit towers
3 the goldhawk estate
brackenbury road
london
w6 0ba

https://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

020 8600 3939
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From:
Posted At: 18 December 2006 16:49
Posted To: Inbox
Conversation: Packaging
Subject: Packaging

Hi

It says on your website that you use ecologically sound packaging for your cartons but it looks like tetrapak to me? and my borough's recycling policy does not allow this to be recycled. Would it be possible to reconsider using a type of packaging which can be recycled by the vast majority of households?

Thanks for your consideration.

Regards
Elmy