Tetra Pak is unable to be part of the kerbside recycling collections operated by Folkestone & Hythe District Council as it cannot currently be recycled.
Folkestone and Hythe's kerbside collected recycled waste is disposed of by Kent County Council. Kent County Council is unable to dispose of Tetra Pak as part of their recycling contract due to the following reasons:
- Tetra Pak is comprised of wood, aluminium and plastic, these different components are not easily separated by the recycling process, and therefore is not a product that is widely recyclable.
- There are very few material recycling facilities in the south east, and waste authorities are bound by the reprocessing material specifications these facilities will accept. The situation with reprocessing markets for cartons may change in the future in line with the government defining its resources and waste strategy.
Alternatively, Tetra Pak can be placed in your residual bin (black bag waste) and this will go to the energy from waste facility at Allington to be used to generate electricity, which is utilised to power the facility and to supplement the local supply network. It is not sent to landfill.
Why is Tetra Pak not recycled at the kerbside?
It is disappointing that Tetra Pak cannot be collected currently, however the situation may change in the future when processing technology changes for certain household products, contracts are renewed, new processing facilities become available or where there maybe changes in line with the government defining its resources and waste strategy.
Why can your processor not take them?
The provider has specified that their facility is unable to take Tetra Pak as this is not a material they can process. Tetra Pak is comprised of various elements including wood, aluminium and plastic, these different components are not easily separated by the recycling process. Tetra Pak is not a product that is widely recyclable.
Why can't another processor take them?
There are limited material recycling facilities in the south east with minimum available capacity. Waste authorities are restricted by the type of materials these facilities will accept.
Due to the complex sorting procedure this material needs before it can be recycled, any materials that do not meet the specifications of the processor may result in them being treated as contamination and consequently may incur a cost to the waste authority.
I think it is wrong to put fully recyclable items in a landfill bin.
KCC do not send recycling to landfill. The majority of recycling is processed and recycled; where it is not possible to do so Tetra Pak can be placed in your residual bin (black bag waste) which goes to the energy from waste facility to be used to generate electricity; this is utilised to power the facility and to supplement the local supply network.