Recycling certification body RecyClass has said that Huhtamaki laminated tubes can be recycled into HDPE bottles.
Huhtamaki’s PBL 240-3-7 and PBL 300/2-7 F tubes are the ones that have been approved and are typically used for cosmetics and oral care.
Both of these are polyethylene laminated tubes provided with HDPE shoulders and presenting light direct printing.
The ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) barrier in PBL 240-3-7 was less than 4% of the total weight of the packaging, and the cap was also excluded.
In the PBL 300/2-7 F tube, the EVOH was less than 3% of its total weight, while it also included an HDPE cap.
According to the laboratory results, carried out by Institut für Kunststofftechnologie und -recycling in Germany, both tubes conformed to current European HDPE recycling streams. To meet this under manufacturing conditions, it would be required that other components such as valves, liners, seals etc must be made of PE and the final artwork on the tubes is compatiable with recycling. The PBL 240-3-7 tube must also be supplied with a PE cap to meet recycling standards.
If these are met, then the laboratory tests showed that the recycled plastic generated after the recycling process can be used in high-value applications such as HDPE bottles with up to 25% concentration.
