General Direction for Soil, Subsoil and Waste Management

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

Multilayer materials in food packaging industry.

Recycling – key element in harmonising economic

and environmental aspects

Direction for Waste Management and Hazardous Substances

Ministry of Environment and Forestry

Belgrade 27 September 2010

CONTENT

1. Packaging flow

2. PACKAGING – driver of economical grows or “necessary evil”?

3. Placing packaging on the market

4. Functions of food packaging

5. One example - Beverage Cartons

a) How BC Perform the Functions as a Food Packaging?

6. Recycling of Beverage Cartons

a) Repulping

b) Thermal compression

7. Solutions for residuals

2

2 Packaging producer

3 Filler/packers4 Distribution

6 Consumer

1 Producer of Raw materials

PACKAGING FLOW

Source: ILSI Conference, Dr Papilloud Quality & Safety / Packaging Nestlé Research Center

5 Retailer

MUNICIPALITYWaste management

company

LANDFILLRECYCLING3

PACKAGING –

driver of economical grows or

“necessary evil”?

– Almost all products sold in packaging

• Exceptions: tap waster, electricity, gas

– Development of industry in general andfood industry in special, interlaced withpackaging developments

4

PLACING PACKAGING ON THE MARKET

(1)

• General criteria

– Should respect the definition*: “all products made of anymaterials of any nature to be used for the containment,protection, handling, delivery and presentation of goods,from the producer to the consumer”;

– Heavy metal content (total concentration levels of lead,cadmium, mercury and hexavalent chromium not toexceed 100 ppm by July 2001);

– Essential requirements (specific to production &composition, to reuse, to be recovered) - free placing ofthe market;

– 6 CEN Standards*

– Consumer acceptance;

– Etc. *Directive 94/62/EC

PLACING PACKAGING ON THE MARKET

(2)

Role of Packaging in the Food Industry

• Safety

– To ensure food safety throughout the food chain

• Client satisfaction

– To fulfil the client’s expectations

– To improve his satisfaction

– To increase competitive advantage

• Conformity

– To fulfil legal requirement6

FUNCTIONS OF FOOD PACKAGING

• Containment

• Protection

• Preservation

• Information (consumer information about the product)

• Convenience

• Commercial communication (advertising)7

PACKAGING IN CONTINUOUS

DEVELOPMENT

• Industry constant search for improving thesafety levels and consumer expectations,observing legal requirements:

– optimizing packaging weight and shape,

– new packaging materials

8

ONE EXAMPLE

-BEVERAGE CARTONS-

• Europe’s most used package for milk and juice– Used for other liquid foods, including oils, sauces, water,

wine – Used for solid food (cheese, fish)

• Efficient use of natural resources:• Beverage use a minimum of materials.

– A 1 liter beverage carton today weighs 25-36 grams.

– A mere ~3% of the weight of a filled beverage carton is packaging.

– Cartons are 75-80% wood-fiber – a natural, renewable resource.

• Energy saving:• Minimum space for transport when empty & when filled• Aseptic cartons require no refrigeration

9

How BC Perform the Functions as a Food

Packaging? (1)

• Containment– products must be contained before they can be moved from

one place to another– prevent product loss and pollutionThe beverage carton is robust, unbreakable and leak-resistant.

• Protection– protect the product from the environmental– protect the environment from the product

• Preservation– limit the oxygen around the product– prevents the growth of bacteria and oxidation– important role in determining the shelf life of a food

The beverage carton protects sensitive products against theeffects of oxygen, bacteria and light. Aseptic beveragecartons keep contents fresh at ambient temperature.

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How BC Perform the Functions as a Food

Packaging? (2)

• Information about the product (consumerinformation)– how to prepare the food, use the product– contents or amount of product contained, ingredients– nutritional content– others legal information regarding labeling

• Convenience– easy to handle– easy to use– easy removal of contents– apportionment– shape

• Presentation– “silent salesman” a package must protect what it sells

and sell what it protects• Commercial communication (advertizing)

– marketing and branding of a product11

OUTSIDE THE ROMANIAN “TRADITIONAL R&R MATERIALS” AND EXISTING

TECHNOLOGIES

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RECYCLING OF BEVERAGE CARTONS

• Cross Section TBA Aseptic Carton

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RECYCLING OF BEVERAGE CARTONS

(1)

There are two basic technologies for recycling beveragecartons:

• Depulping, with separation of the fibers from thepolyethylene (PE), or polyethylene and aluminum (Al).

• Thermal compression, using the total packagingmaterial without separation of the different components.

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RECYCLING OF BEVERAGE CARTONS

(2)

• The DEPULPING process:

– The packaging material is put into water and delaminatedunder high friction by hydraulic forces.

– The fibers are pumped out through filters leaving the PE, Alfoil and other contaminants at the bottom.

– The remaining residues are removed and compressed to takeout the water.

• THERMAL COMPRESSION

– BC are shredded and spread in a layer to a desired thickness.This is then put in a press and heated to approximately170°C.

– The heat melts the PE content which binds the denselypacked fiber and Al shreds together in a resilient matrix.

– The matrix is then rapidly cooled, forming a tough chipboardwith a glossy impermeable surface, which can bethermoformed in a variety of shapes.

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WATER

PCC

PULP CHEST

BEVERAGE CARTON RECYCLING

depulping

SCREEN

Clean Poly-AL

WATER TANK

Drum screen

Buffer tank

Cartons

16

residues

17

Drum

Screen

Buffer

tank

View from below

Pulper inside

View from above

July 2009 tests for recyclability of BC

• 4 layers:

– 1 layer 5% by mass polyethylene,

– 1 layer 75% by mass pure celuloze,

– 1 layer 5% by mass aluminum foil

– 1 layer 15% by mass printed polyetilene.

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TEST RESULTS

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Test 120 kg/batch Test 90 kg/batch

Humidity (%) 71,6 65,2

Foil polyethylene + aluminium

(% d.s)

76,93 84,41

Cellulose fibre (% d.s.) 18,24 11,38

Polyethylene (% d.s.) 4,82 4,21

Recovered fibre (% d.s.) 93 95,4

Average of recovered fibres 94.2

Recycling limitations in existing facilities

• High content of PE& Al foil (approx 25%)

• Only up to 15% BC mixed with waste paper& cardboard

• The existing capacities for recycling paper and cardboardin Romania covers the needs to recycle the BC placed onthe market

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Recycled fibers from beverage cartons can

be used to make useful paper products

SOLUTIONS FOR RESIDUALS

• Mechanical Recycling - Plastic and aluminum composites

• Composting (BC has 85% cellulose and lignin in their composition)

• Energy recovery :

– In cement kilns

– Boiler at paper mill

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Residuals

Washing Extrusion

1

4

32

Mechanical Recycling

Pellets

Products made from residuals

Fibreless panel boards

26

Thank you

Contact:

Simona Ghiţă

Head of Waste Management Unit

simona.ghita@mmediu.ro

Phone/fax: +4 (021)3160298

www.mmediu.ro