A group of carton producers has launched a £1.2 million recycling programme to help local authorities "dramatically" increase the recycling of composite packaging including Tetra Paks.

The fund has been announced by the Alliance of Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE), to swell the carton recycling war chest following the £300,000 fund launched by individual carton producer Tetra Pak earlier this year (see letsrecycle.com story). 

Funding will be put towards developing kerbside and bring bank collection services, transportation, sorting equipment and public awareness campaigns for councils and community groups.

ACE, which includes Elopak and SIG Combibloc as members as well as Tetra Pak, hopes to achieve nationwide carton collections by 2008.

The announcement came this week in anticipation of an IPPR/Green Alliance report to be published on Sunday, which is expected to criticise the packaging industry's environmental credentials. It also comes in the week that minister Ben Bradshaw highlighted the problem of packaging waste (see letsrecycle.com story).

Richard Hands, chairman of ACE UK and environment manager of Tetra Pak UK and Ireland, said: "Increasingly consumers want to recycle as much of their waste as possible, but many are under the misapprehension that cartons are difficult to recycle.

He explained: "The industry recognised it was time to take the initiative to improve carton recycling rates in the UK, as seen possible in other European countries. It is this collaborative effort and determination to improve which have led to today's announcement."

Cartons, which are made of fused paper, plastic and aluminium materials, are mostly exported to Scandinavia for reprocessing, since the closure of the only capable plant in the UK this summer (see letsrecycle.com story). The UK is thought to be recycling just 4% of its cartons at present, but the ACE hopes its new fund will help push the UK recycling rate up towards the 30% European average.

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