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Recycling of brick packs gets a boost

As a new recycling technology goes from pilot scale to “showcase” status, the prospects for sustainable recycling of foil-based laminated materials should be improved.

Or so says packagingnews.co.uk in a recent item about Enval. Spawned at England’s Cambridge University, Enval has a technology that separates aluminum from plastic by heating the laminated material to about 500 degrees C in a low-oxygen environment. The aluminum melts and can be directed to the aluminum recycling stream. The plastic is vaporized and can be collected for re-use elsewhere.

Aseptic brick packs have come under fire lately for being difficult to recycle. If this new technology catches on, it’s likely that the recycling rate for this popular package format would improve. That would be a good thing.