LRS Consultancy has brought together Enval, SITA UK, Nestlé UK & Ireland, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Tesco UK to examine viable approaches for collecting flexible packaging materials containing aluminium, such as toothpaste tubes and pet food sachets, to improve recycling and the remanufacture of aluminium. The project is being funding by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Enval is a technology developer that has developed a unique process for recycling plastic laminates, containing aluminium. It will recycle the material at its commercial demonstration facility near Huntingdon.
Flexible laminate packaging has been difficult to recycle viably, because it often contains aluminium and various recyclable plastics. Collecting and separating these is complicated.
So this project is undertaking research to develop and trial new methods of recovering and treating flexible plastic and aluminium laminate packaging.
The initial scoping study will explore ways to increase the amount of flexible laminate packaging that is collected and recycled in England, and assess the feasibility of a range of collection and communication approaches for households and commercial premises within different regions of the country.
Depending on the results of the scoping study, the team may then implement trials to test different collection methods for flexible packaging and provide insight as to how consumer behaviour and attitudes influence collection models. Various collection methods would be assessed to determine the most effective solution for different demographics and locations and assess the cost benefit of the different approaches trialled.
The trial covers 260 households in local authority areas of Bracknell Forest Council, London Borough of Hounslow and Calderdale Council.
Carlos Ludlow-Palafox, managing director at Enval, commented, “These trials are providing an important opportunity to prove that we can successfully capture and recycle the valuable aluminium, as well as recover the plastics as a fuel oil product. This will present a solid business case for Enval’s microwave induced pyrolysis technology to be bolted on to existing materials facilities and help increase levels of recycling across the UK.”
“Aluminium is a hugely valuable and versatile material so it's important that we capture and recycle as much of it as possible. We are delighted to be working with collection companies and brand owners to find the best way to collect flexible laminate packaging and establish increased recycling rates for this material as part of our commitment to the UK’s circular economy.”
Dee Moloney, managing director, LRS Consultancy, added, “Brands are increasingly using flexible laminate packaging to help preserve their products for longer, reduce the amount of material used in the manufacturing process and ‘lightweight’ their packaging. However, sometimes such initiatives result in unintended challenges for the resource management industry to manage and process these mixed-material products post use. The consortium is uniquely positioned to deliver this research and we are delighted to have received a good response from a broad range of interested parties who are keen to support the project.”
