Tetrapak is a multi-material created by the company of the same name, Tetra Pak, which produces food containers. We can find it in all supermarkets, as it packages milk, fruit juices, vegetable drinks and even sauces. But when it comes to separate waste collection, given that it contains paper, plastic and aluminium, there are great doubts about the correct disposal.
We often ask ourselves where do you throw the Tetrapak?a mixed material that is an integral part of our lives, or rather of our household expenses. In fact, we can find it on the shelves every time we go to the supermarket. In fact, from milk to fruit juices and some types of salt, it is he who packages these foods.
But what is Tetrapak made of and why do we always have doubts about where to dispose of it to carry out correct separate waste collection? The fact that it is a multi-material is at the basis of the uncertainties about which is the most suitable bin to throw it away without hesitation.
In terms of percentages, Tetrapak is made up of 75% cardboard, to which is added 14% plastic, which wraps the outside of the container and 5% aluminium. The remaining 6% is made up of other plastic, specifically the bioplastic of which the package caps are made.
Hence the questions on how to recycle Tetrapak and where to take it, in order to carry out our role as model citizens attentive to separate waste collection. We will see the answers in this article, but we tell you straight away that the options are reduced to two bins and it is the municipality where we live that tells us which one to choose.
What a waste the Tetrapak is
The Tetrapak, as mentioned, is a mixed material: it is made up of paper, plastic and aluminium, which often makes it difficult to decide “sensically” where to throw it. In fact, this layered compound allows you to protect some types of food. The external plastic layer makes it waterproof, the internal aluminum layer protects food from light and humidity.
In between there is a layer of cardboard, capable of making the container solid but without weighing it down and instead guaranteeing a certain lightness of transport. And this is why Tetrapak has become a great ally of the food industry over the years, as it acts as a barrier to external agents, thus protecting the food, but it is also resistant and not heavy.
But not all that glitters is gold, given that Tetrapak also has a recycling process that turns up the noses of the most zealous environmentalists. The only material in this process that is entirely recycled is paper, while aluminum and plastic are not always able to be put back into the production cycle.
However, everything depends on how the company that deals with the division and disposal of Tetrapak proceeds with the treatment of the resulting materials.
Where do you throw the Tetrapak: paper or plastic?
We predicted it for you, there are two options for delivering Tetrapak containers, the paper bin and that of plastic. The website of your municipality of residence, in the section dedicated to separate waste collection, will be able to resolve any doubts about the type of collection of this material in the area.
Usually municipalities opt for disposal in the paper bin, but some have instead chosen to dispose of it with plastic. In both cases, the division of materials takes place in the landfill, using special machinery, which stores paper, plastic and aluminum separately.
But before throwing away our containers, it should be remembered that we must wash them to eliminate traces of food and, if our municipality has foreseen that Tetrapak goes in paper, we will also have to eliminate the cap, which will instead be thrown away with plastic waste.
Tetrapak is a multiple material that can be, at least to a large extent, recycled and this means that it should not be thrown into waste waste, where only non-recyclable materials, such as receipts and mixed objects, go. The waste sorting bin in this case is not the correct one for collection.
Sources
Source: www.greenstyle.it
