Recycling Liquid Cartons
Over the past decade, the recycling of liquid cartons in the UK has been transformed.
Following significant investment from our members and our work across the value chain, 9 in 10 UK Local Authorities now collect liquid cartons for recycling at the kerbside. As Simpler Recycling in England and other standardised collection schemes continue to develop, we are working to ensure that everyone in the UK can recycle their cartons through their household recycling bin.
Where kerbside collection is not yet available, ACE UK continues to support local recycling solutions.
Not sure if your council collects cartons? You can check using our interactive map.
Where are Liquid Cartons being Reprocessed?
Liquid cartons collected for recycling are transformed into new products by recovering the high-quality materials that they contain.
ACE UK is currently working with paper manufacturers to develop new carton reprocessing capacity within the UK.
During this transition, cartons collected for recycling are reprocessed at dedicated specialist facilities in Germany, France and Spain. These modern facilities are specifically designed to recycle liquid cartons.
Like many recyclable materials, including paper, card and plastics, exporting materials for recycling to established facilities is an important part of today's recycling system while additional UK infrastructure is developed.
We remain committed to ensuring that every carton collected for recycling is recycled responsibly and transformed into new products.
Our long-term ambition is for every carton collected for recycling in the UK to be reprocessed domestically, and we will provide updates as new arrangements are confirmed.
