The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK, in association with  Sonoco Alcore, has announced plans to build a new beverage carton recycling plant in the UK.  The plant is expected to be operational in 2013. ACE is an industry group representing beverage carton manufacturers such as Tetra Pak. The new mill will have a capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year, sufficient to process about 40% of the volume of beverage cartons used in the UK. Currently, beverage cartons collected in recycling programs in the UK are shipped to Italy for recycling.

GallonDaily sees the new plant as significant in several ways:

• Industry is taking the lead on building a more local recycling plant for its used packaging.
• Construction of the plant recognizes the significant role that recycling industries can have in development of the green economy.
• Availability of recycling opportunities is a major incentive, as well as a necessity, for increased recycling rates.

Announcement of the new plant can be found at http://www.ace-uk.co.uk/news/article/uk_reprocessing_plant_to_boost_beverage_carton_recycling_rates