Stora Enso and Tetra Pak are planning to build a large recycling plant for used beverage cartons (UBC) in Poland. A feasibility study has now been commissioned.
The plant is planned in Stora Ensos Ostrołęka plant in Poland. The aim here is to shred and separate the fibres from used beverage cartons in order to use the recycled fibres as raw material. Tetra Pak would ensure recycling and reuse of polymers and aluminium.
If the project is realised, the annual capacity of the new recycling line would be 50,000 tonnes of UBC. This would be a significant increase in recycling capacity for beverage cartons across Europe and would increase the European recycling rate for beverage cartons from the current 51%. In the first stage, the recycled post-consumer beverage carton material would come from countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
„A new line would be the next step in the circularisation of packaging materials and would help to make our customers“ brands recyclable. Beverage cartons are now widely recycled in Europe and we want to use our knowledge of fibres and cartonboard to promote and accelerate the recycling and collection of beverage carton materials. Our process at Ostrołęka Mill already utilises recycled materials (OCC). We are interested in further developing the already well-functioning recycling system and using high-quality UBC fibres"
Markku Luoto, VP LPB Aseptic and CUK, Stora Enso
The feasibility study is expected to be completed in six months, after which the possible decisions on the project and the timetable would be confirmed.
Source: Stora Enso
