Tetra Pak recycling

[britvic]

Hi all,

As an avid recycler, I would love to be able to recycle tetra paks. I had a look a the Tetra Pak website and discovered that Southwark is one of only three boroughs in Greater London without this facility. Shock Horror!

The good news is that Tetra Pak are offering free collection banks to councils who don't currently have them (http://www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/authorities.asp).

I've just emailed Southwark council [email protected] asking if they would consider bringing this additional recycling facility to East Dulwich/Peckham and was wondering if anyone else would like to also? Power in numbers and all that....

Cheers

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I put mine in with my paper recycling and they take them. Not sure if they are actually recycled or not tho!

[giggirl]

What's Tetra Pak?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Like Rubik's Cube but harder.

[candj]

I also put my tetrapaks into the paper recycling and assumed it was like recycling paper and no one has mentioned anything to me?! I guess the council will say something when they snoop through my rubbish. The Sainsburys own organic juice range is unfortunately not recyclable (saying so on the carton), just FYI.

[spc]

I believe the reason the Tetra Paks have to be recycled seperately to normal paper is because they tend to be lined with a plastic coating, which will prevent the rest of the paper in the bins being recycled.

[Asset]

Good idea Britvic. I avoid buying stuff in tetrapak because it can't be recycled unless you send it, at your own expense, to the tetrapak recycling plant (which I've never been bothered to do).

I'll shoot off an email to Southwark too.

[wee quinnie]

Actually, I emailed the council about this very matter not long ago, and this is what they told me:

Thank you for your recent recycling enquiry

> regarding tetra paks. At present our waste

> collection services are being handed-over to Veolia

> Environmental Services which means our flexibility

> in expanding our services has been significantly

> reduced until this transition is complete. We have

> actually been in discussions with Tetra pak about

> having some collection banks in Southwark and 5

> potential sites have been identified and passed on

> to Veolia. Hopefully we should see some movement on

> this situation in the New Year. Keep your eye on the

> 'recycling news' section of our website:

> http://www.southwark.gov.uk/YourServices/environment/RecyclingPages/

>

> Regards, Katelyn.

>

> Katelyn Fryer

> Recycling Officer

> 020 7525 2488

>

[Asset]

flexibility

> in expanding our services has been significantly

> reduced....................ha ha ha ha ha ha

[kford]

What business-speak twaddle.

[tarynlondon]

Thanks britvic....I'm really into recycling, but haven't got to the point we I start to complain about lack of facilities. I have emailed southwark council thanks to your suggestion. Does anyone out there think we should be looking at the recycling loop numbers on the bottom of our plastic recycling? Just wondering...

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I remember reading a while back that Veolia are heavily involved in supporting the building of the Israeli wall that is being used to grab more of the Palestinian land and when they bid with Southwark council for the recycling contract their recycling target of 40 something percent or whatever it was, was lower than the other companies bid, and lower than Southwarks own target.

How the hell they managed to get the contract I don't know.

[ed_pete]

I've been asking Southwark for this for two years!

[http://www.southwark.gov.uk/SouthwarkDiscussion/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1207]

As Britvic said, Southwark are one of the three worst. Putting them in with the paper/cardboard is not a good option as it contaminates the load (surprised the prospective Green Party candidate is taking this approach) and in essence reduces the value to the recycler and thus any revenue to Southwark. We tend to get through a lot of cartons and I did actually go to my own expense to send a boxful of them to the one recycling centre in the UK (relocated to Somerset from Scotland) and then had another go at Southwark, Sainsburys and the GLA about the lack of facilities.

The only option - and one only really practical to those with a car - is to use the recently added recycling bank in Forest Hill Sainsburys car park.

The company that really p*ss me off is Innocent - all they friendly, funny, funky packaging that is less than recycle friendly.

Rant over.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

I always wash them and leave them to dry before I put them in the paper bag.

[Asset]

Tarynlondon, I have called Southwark in the past to ask them exactly which numbers of plastic we can recycle and no one was able to tell me. Until I am told which plastics specifically I chuck everything in. Maybe if more people called and asked it may prompt them to find out.

Where my mum lives (Scotland) she is told which numbers can be recycled and it is only 1 and 3 I think.

[ed_pete]

Chav - your cartons may be clean but Southwark still don't want them.

According to the recycling pages on their web site you should not include any of the following in your paper/cardboard recycling:

Yellow pages

Brown paper and brown envelopes

Food and drink cartons (e.g. Tetra pak) Paper cups and plates

Plastic coated paper

Tissue or metallic wrapping paper

Sweets or crisps wrappers

Wallpaper

Loose shredded paper

 

[Asset]

Wot no shreddings? What's wrong with shredded paper or is that so we don't bother shredding documents and it's easier to snaffle IDs?

[Frisco]

"What business-speak twaddle."

My thoughts entirely. In my view Southwark's recycling service has aways been a shambles compared to some other boroughs like Wandsworth. They can't seem to grasp that they have to make the process as simple and convenient as possible for people to follow and participate in, and that it's everyday people and not just the avid recyclers that they have to convince and get in to the habit.

I always wince when I see or hear the huge, presumably diesel, truck they collect recycling in, and wonder if they either consider or know the net effect of recycling in the borough.

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Maybe they should get their act together then.

[ed_pete]

I always wince when I see or hear the huge, presumably diesel, truck they collect recycling in, and wonder if they either consider or know the net effect of recycling in the borough.

Would you prefer they didn't conduct doorstep collections or perhaps used smaller vehicles with lower capacities that would require more miles to be covered.

[wee quinnie]

At the moment I am walking up to Sainsburys in F Hill and dropping off my tetrapaks there. Its a hassle, but better than binning them.

[britvic]

Asset Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Wot no shreddings? What's wrong with shredded

> paper or is that so we don't bother shredding

> documents and it's easier to snaffle IDs?

The council website says you have to put shredded paper in a paper bag before you can recycle it. (You gotta laugh)

[Jamma]

I put our juice cartons in the blue box. If the recycling team don't fancy anything in the box they usually leave it in there so figured they are happy to take the cartons.

Similarly I've noticed they'll leave recyclables in the bin if they find anything in there (I put some fat into a plastic bottle and put it in the bin and they wouldn't take it. What am I supposed to do?)

[Asset]

wee quinnie Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> At the moment I am walking up to Sainsburys in F

> Hill and dropping off my tetrapaks there. Its a

> hassle, but better than binning them.

don't suppose anyone knows if DKH Sainsbury's takes them?

[ed_pete]

Sadly not - I imagine the one in FH is down to some agreement between JS and Lewisham Council. After all its the council that empty the recycling bin in the car park, not JS.