The Burlington County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling in the US has unveiled a new initiative aimed at recycling plastic drink carriers.
The initiative is launched in partnership with PakTech, a plastic carrier manufacturer, and two local breweries.
This eco-friendly programme provides residents with designated drop-off locations for their used carriers.
Starting this month, residents can bring their used plastic drink carriers to the Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex in Florence.
Residents can also take their carriers to participating local breweries, Farm Truck Brewing and Zed’s Beer, both of which use PakTech carriers and form part of the company’s recycling programme.
PakTech carriers are made from 100% recycled plastics and are commonly used by breweries and drink and food brands, including Pepsi, Kirkland, Kraft/Heinz, Colgate-Palmolive, and Ocean Spray.
These recyclable carriers replace traditional plastic ring holders but cannot be processed via the county’s single-stream recycling programme.
Burlington County commissioner director Felicia Hopson said: “Burlington County residents are very environmentally conscious and have helped us earn one of the best recycling records in the state.
"Collecting plastic drink carriers might seem small but it is another way for us to keep common plastic items out of our landfill. It helps protect our environment and promotes recycling and sustainability."
The programme not only offers recycling but also reusing options.
Zed’s Beer reuses most of the returned carriers while damaged ones are sent to the county for recycling.
Farm Truck Brewing will also contribute by delivering returned carriers to the county's facilities.
Burlington County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling liaison Tom Pullion said: “We want to encourage more local breweries to host drop offs and we’re also looking to do special collections at upcoming paper shredding days and other county events.”
Burlington County's recycling efforts have been significant, with almost 82 million pounds of recyclables collected last year, saving nearly $3.9m in additional landfill fees for the county's municipalities and taxpayers.
