Cartons & Tetra Pak: The Multi-Layer Recycle

A juice carton is paper, plastic and foil at once. That makes it recyclable — but only in the right stream, and only when clean.

Liquid cartons (Tetra Pak and similar) are mostly paperboard with thin layers of polyethylene and aluminium. The fibre is valuable; the plastic and foil are recovered too, but ordinary paper mills cannot handle the mix.

How They're Recovered

• Collected through dedicated carton take-back points or specific curbside programs.
• Re-pulped so the fibre becomes new paper products.
• Leftover poly-aluminium is pressed into boards and other goods.

Prepare Them Right

Empty and rinse the carton, and flatten it to save space. Find a carton collection point rather than the mixed-paper bin, so the layers are actually separated and reused.

Related Reading

See paper recycling, plastic recycling limits, and deposit-return schemes.

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