What happens to it?

The Composite Packaging Loop

Composite packaging consists of at least two different materials that are completely bonded to each other and cannot be separated by hand. Some examples are instant soup packets, frozen food cartons and – above all – beverage cartons. They account for the lion's share of composites and, like all other types of lightweight packaging, are disposed of via the yellow bin.

The collected material is first transported to the sorting plant where the beverage cartons are separated from the other lightweight packaging and pressed into bales. Station number two is the recycling plant. Here the packaging is first shredded and then stirred vigorously in huge mixers known as pulpers. During this process, the paper fibres soak up the water causing them to swell and separate from the thin layers of polyethylene and aluminium.

The pulp is cleaned and thickened before being pumped to the paper machine where it is converted into corrugated board, egg cartons or tissues and toilet paper to name just a few examples.

The remaining mixture of extremely thin polyethylene and aluminium layers can be recycled in two ways: It can either be forwarded to the cement production industry where the plastic fraction is used as a source of energy and the aluminium guarantees the necessary strength of the concrete produced from the cement. Or the aluminium can be recovered in pure form in highly specialised plants. In the course of this process, the plastic is converted into steam and electrical energy that are used directly in the plant.