ACE UK STATEMENT: ACE UK welcomes the UK Government’s inclusion of food and drink cartons in the list of recyclable materials to be collected by all English local authorities under Simpler Recycling reforms

Following the publication of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) response to its 2021 Consistency in Household and Business Recycling consultation, the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK welcomes the UK Government’s confirmation that food and drink cartons will be included in the list of dry recyclable materials which will be collected by all English local authorities. These changes will ensure that from 31 March 2026, every household in England will be able to recycle food and drink cartons.

In its submission to DEFRA’s 2021 consultation on Consistency in Household and Business Recycling in England, ACE UK highlighted there was more than 60% support for adding cartons to the list of materials to be consistently collected by all English local authorities during the Government’s first consultation. With support for enhanced collection and recycling of cartons only growing in the intervening years, DEFRA’s confirmation that cartons will be included within the core list of materials for consistent collection under Simpler Recycling provides welcome certainty to consumers, local authorities, the waste management industry, retailers, and producers.

As the trade association for the UK’s leading food and drink carton manufacturers (Tetra Pak, Elopak, and SIG Combibloc), ACE UK is strongly supportive of DEFRA’s waste and recycling reforms. As residents across England seek to do their part to reduce waste, protect the environment, and combat climate change, these changes will enable everyone to recycle with confidence, knowing that the same set of materials will be collected for recycling anywhere in the country.

From March 2025, every English business will be able to recycle carton materials with certainty, with cartons collected alongside plastic and other dry-recyclable materials, with households in England following in March 2026. Requiring that all English local authorities collect the same set of recyclable materials will crucially reduce consumer confusion and boost recycling rates for cartons and other items. This is an important step towards eliminating avoidable waste and moving towards a more circular economy within the UK.

With around two-thirds of English local authorities currently collecting cartons, in the upcoming weeks ACE UK will launch its Carton Ready Campaign, providing guidance and support for the remaining third of local authorities to successfully implement the Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms by 2026.

As part of this campaign, ACE UK will offer a wealth of resources to assist local authorities in updating their existing processes to comply with the new requirements. This will include sharing a Consistent Collections Implementation toolkit with local authorities, which will provide detailed step-by-step guidance on beginning to collect and recycle cartons. ACE UK has a long-standing record of successfully collaborating with local authorities to improve carton collection and recycling rates and looks forward to continuing this work.

Going forward, ACE UK also hopes that DEFRA will give additional clarity around outstanding Simpler Recycling questions, including agreeing on a future proofed and appropriate definition of the fibre-based composites category, and clear incentives to guarantee that collected cartons are sorted and recycled. ACE UK is continuing to engage with DEFRA, local authorities, the waste management industry, and other packaging material producers to ensure the successful development and implementation of Simpler Recycling.

However, the publication of the Government’s thinking is a strong positive step towards achieving the UK’s environmental and decarbonisation objectives.

About ACE UK

The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK provides a platform for the industry to profile and benchmark cartons as a renewable, recyclable and low-carbon packaging choice, and to drive its environmental initiatives. This includes running the industry’s carton recycling programme. ACE UK represents Tetra Pak, Elopak, and SIG Combibloc, the leading manufacturers of food and drink cartons for the UK market. It is also supported by BillerudKorsnäs and Stora Enso, which produce about 98% of the paperboard used by ACE UK members to manufacture cartons in Europe.

Follow us on Twitter: @CartonRecycling

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Media and further inquiries: Ross Melton, Tel: 0044 2074572807; E-mail: ross.melton@instinctif.com