WRAP Seeks to Boost Milk Bottle Recycling

Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP), a Banbury, England-based organization that helps individuals and businesses reduce waste, is inviting tenders to develop a cost-effective label, ink and adhesive system for use on HDPE milk bottles that will not contaminate the plastic during recycling. The invitation is a result of research and development work into boosting the recyclability of plastic milk bottles.

WRAP’s target is for 50 percent of the milk industry’s capacity to commit to implementing the new system by 2011.

The work will include:

• Assessing the challenges in bottle, ink, adhesive and label design and identifying potential solutions
• Developing a viable system that does not taint the recycled polymer during the recycling process
• Evaluating the system’s economic and environmental viability
• Large-scale trials of a developed solution

“A successful system will not only improve the quality of the recycled polymer, but it will enable new milk bottles to be manufactured with a higher recycled content in closed loop recycling systems,” says Paul Davidson, plastics sector manager for WRAP.

A full tender invitation document and application form can be obtained from the WRAP website (www.wrap.org.uk). The closing date for tender submissions is Friday Sept. 12.