Paper mill group Sonoco has shown that steel-bottomed paper containers can be recycled in its mills.
Working with Kellogg’s, which uses steel-bottomed paper containers on products such as Pringles, as well as recycled fibre manufacturer Sustana, Sonoco tested whether it could use the fibre from these products in its US mills.
The trial showed that in the pulping process, the fibre separated from the non-fibre components. This means the fibre can be used to create new paper and cardboard products.
Sonoco associate director of global sustainability Scott Byrne said: “It’s no easy task, but we believe closing the loop is always worth our time, talent and resources.
“By validating that paper containers can be processed in the paper stream, there’s hope to see an increase in recycled fibre. Ultimately, through strategic collaboration, it’s more possible than ever to reduce the impact of hard to recycle items.”
