New recycling process in Québec for
juice boxes and milk cartons
Spearheaded by Tetra Pak, a group of corporate and public partners launched a cutting edge recycling line designed to optimize end-of-life carton management in Canada.
RCM News release YAMACHICHE, PQ (October 27, 2010)
Québec has made a leap forward in consumer packaging waste diversion. Today, a cutting edge recycling line was launched at Groupe RCM’s recycling facility in Yamachiche, Québec; a local project that’s part of a larger industry strategy to optimize end-of-life carton management in Canada. For the first time anywhere in the world, cartons, plastic bags and films are broken down into a thermoplastic resin which will be used in industrial and commercial product manufacturing.
The launch is the end result of a three-year development, and represents a $3.5 million investment, spearheaded by Tetra Pak as part of its larger, aggressive national recycling plan. Tetra Pak and its corporate partners A. Lassonde Inc. and Natrel, along with Québec government corporation Recyc-Québec, collectively provided Groupe RCM with $1 million in seed capital.
The recycling line accepts all gable top and aseptic cartons, as well as plastic shopping bags and cellophane films from sorting centres in the Québec market. A thermokinetic process uses high-speed knives to homogenize disparate waste materials into plastic granules that can later be used for making a wide variety of plastic products including: flower pots, railway ties, guard rail posts, pallets and plastic lumber. The process is waste-free, converting all elements, including straws, caps and other plastic attachments, into plastic granules. Over the next three years, Groupe RCM expects to reach a total yearly processing volume of 12,000 metric tonnes of waste, which is enough waste to fill more than 2,000 dump trucks. The technology was developed by the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ) in collaboration with Groupe RCM and Tetra Pak.
Read the complete News release (pdf)
For more information please contact:
Jessica Goldberg, GolinHarris for Tetra Pak, T: 416-642-7970
Ian Roberts, GolinHarris for Tetra Pak, T: 416-642-7906
Maude Bolduc, Massy-Forget for Tetra Pak, T : 514-842-2455 ext 28
Bridget Ann Peterson Massy-Forget for Tetra Pak, T : 514-842-2488 ext 26
More information about Tetra Pak Canada at: www.tetrapak.ca