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Video length: 2 min
Recycling: the puzzle of food cartons
Recycling: the puzzle of food cartons
(France 2)
Used instead of plastic packaging, cardboard bricks are also made of plastic and aluminum, which complicates their recycling.
Cardboard food cartons have replaced plastic packaging. They are more ecological, provided they are properly recycled. The task is difficult, because these bricks also contain plastic and aluminum. In total, only 61% of the bricks are reused, due to sorting errors. Even when they are in the correct bin, they still have to arrive at the factory.
Favor the deposit
In France, only two sites are capable of separating the three materials that compose it. In Hondouville (Eure), the bricks are transformed into toilet paper and paper towels. The necessary installations are extremely expensive. To be recycled, part of the bricks consumed in France are sent to Spain, Italy and Germany. For environmental associations, even revalued, these bricks are not a good alternative. “The only solution is to replace the food cartons with, in particular, the deposit for reuse”assures Marine Bonavita, Zero Waste France project manager.
