In 2016, we became the first organisation to launch a drink carton recycling programme in Hong Kong, and implemented it in schools, hotels, a theme park and the community in phases. Afterwards, we introduced an innovative “Cash Reward” model to plough drink cartons back into local recycling chains. This helped to establish a holistic and sustainable recycling system in Hong Kong.
Drink cartons are made of paper, plastic and aluminium, which are all recyclable. However, due to the lack of technology, facilities and resources, Hong Kong was yet to implement any drink carton recycling campaigns.
Not until 2019, that is, when a local recycling factory for drink carton was established, opening the door for effective treatment of carton waste. Nevertheless, the current recycling rate is still very low. Over 24,000 tonnes of drink cartons are thrown away each year. Dumping these recyclable resources into the landfills is not only a waste but also aggravates pressure on landfills and the waste problem. What is more, it does not help the local recycling industry.
Looking to examples in other parts of the world like Taipei, South Korea, Japan and Germany, there are a range of recycling regulations in place, including Producer Responsibility Scheme, which use economic means to regulate producers to recycle their own products. In this way, the producers have the incentive to not only provide recycling facilities and mechanisms, but also to choose the right materials and design their packages properly, in order to reduce waste at source.
A drink carton is made of a composite material, making recycling more complicated. By advocating drink carton recycling, we hope to raise public awareness of and reflections on Hong Kong's recycling policy:
We will continue advocating the implementation of a Producer Responsibility Scheme regarding all beverage containers and food packaging by the government, and urge producers to take on their environmental responsibility and support the local recycling industry. On the other hand, through recycling drink cartons, we hope to boost society's demand for recycling, and together we will strive for progress in waste management for Hong Kong!
Drink carton ranks second (17%)* in packaging materials of the beverage market. Together with cartons used in household kitchens such as broth and corn; cartons used in catering industry such as liquid eggs and cream, 24,090 tonnes* of waste carton are dumped in the landfill annually, which is equivalent to 2.1 billion cartons, enough to cover the area of 3,642 Hong Kong Stadiums, and requires public expenditure of HK$15 million for waste disposal.
There are two types of drink carton, namely aluminium foil carton and milk carton: the former is made of paper, plastic and aluminium; and the latter is made of paper and plastic. All these materials can be recycled and reused. Drink carton recycling is common worldwide. The recycling rate in Japan is about 45%, Europe 40%, Taiwan 30% and mainland China 10%.
There are different ways of recycling drink carton. A common method is to recover the paper constituent and recycle it into different paper products. Plastic and aluminium are made into molded boards or Refuse Paper & Plastic Fuel (RPF). A whole carton can also be recycled into Tectan boards or RPF. Or all materials (paper, plastic and aluminium) are separated and recycled into different raw materials.
High or low recycling value?
The main component of drink carton is paper (75% in aluminium foil carton; 85% in milk carton). The long paper fibres used allow the waste to be turned into more durable paper products. In particular, the paper in milk carton which is made from bleached wood pulp is of high recycling value, as premium quality paper can be made from the recovered materials.
On the other hand, in addition to paper, drink carton also contains plastic and aluminium. Recycling of the composite requires more complicated process and a higher cost. Thus, drink carton is often considered as a recyclable with low recycling value. Hence, in most places where the recycling rate of drink carton is relatively high, we can see that a Producer Responsibility Scheme is in place in order to promote recycling
Can I put drink cartons into the waste paper recycle bin?
No! Although drink carton is mainly made of paper, it also contains plastic and aluminium. In aluminium foil carton, 20% of it is plastic and 5% is aluminium; in milk carton, 15% is plastic. Drink carton is composite material, which cannot be recycled as normal paper.
* Drink Without Waste Research Report (2018)
* The latest Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong (2020)