Frugalpac, creators of the first recyclable coffee cup, continues its mission to make significant improvements in the recycling rates of everyday packaging, with the launch of the Frugal Carton.
Launching in 2018, the Frugal Carton sees the conventional laminated beverage carton reinvented so that it can now be processed at any paper recycling facility in the UK.
Conventional cartons are made of a laminate of several layers of plastic, tightly bonded to cardboard – this combination of materials prevents cartons from breaking down within any standard recycling process.
Cardboard is recycled by mixing it with water in a large pulping tank and the paper then breaks down into fibre elements, similar to the way a child makes paper maché. Normally, cardboard breaks down within approximately 30 minutes of emersion, but the waterproof nature of the existing cartons means that they remain intact well beyond 30 minutes.
As a consequence, the cartons are not acceptable in standard paper mills.
There is only one specialist recycling facility in the UK operated by ACE UK in parternship with Sonoco Alcore and funded by the carton manufacturers.
The redesigned bevergae carton sees the packaging separated into two parts. The first is the outer part, which is made of paper and can be widly recycling by local authorities, and the second part is a plastic lining, which can be removed and disposed of with redisdual waste.