Lord de Mauley, Resource Management Minister, will inaugurate a recycling unit for beverage cartons in Stainland. This factory is a collaborative effort of Sonoco Alcore, a packaging producer, and several carton manufacturers.
The facility will convert nearly 25000 tones of cartons into paperboard that will have industrial strength. Nearly 40% of the cartons used by food and drinks industry will be recycled in this fashion. Two packaging ingredients aluminum and polythene will be separated from the cartons during recycling process as different processes and techniques will be tried and assessed for their efficiency in the factory.
It is estimated that this recycling facility will recycle around 1.25 billion cartons every year. This will be a boost to the economy saving a lo0t of money as these cartons were earlier sent to other European countries for their recycling. The people behind the project have given an alternative to the local businessman who did not like the idea of sending their used cartons for recycling to Sweden or any other European country.
This also cuts down on emissions that were produced through transportation of these cartons to facilities of recycling in foreign countries. Local authorities are confident that they will now handle a much larger volume of these cartons as recycling becomes easier.
The same premises where the cartons will be recycled will be used for production of industrial grade paperboards. Lord de Mauley has expressed hope that the recycling facility will not only be good for the environment but also for the economy by generating lots of jobs for the local youth.
He added that it is good to see business houses joining hands to recycle their waste. According to Richard Hands, the major aim of the companies making cartons (Tetra Pak, SIG Combibloc, Elopak, etc), is to make products that are easier to recycle.