Tetra Pak has announced a strategic investment to enhance the UK's recycling infrastructure for food and beverage cartons, installing advanced robotic sorting technology at J&B Recycling’s materials recovery facility (MRF) in Hartlepool.
This marks a key step in the company’s ongoing efforts to improve the circularity of its packaging materials and prepare for the UK’s upcoming Simpler Recycling policy.
In collaboration with British AI waste-tech firm Recycleye, Tetra Pak has funded and overseen the installation of two robotic arms at the Hartlepool MRF. These robots are engineered to identify and sort cartons with high accuracy and efficiency, helping increase recycling volumes from kerbside collections across several northern English councils, including Newcastle, Sunderland, and Hull.
The investment at J&B Recycling is part of a wider £1.4m commitment from Tetra Pak in 2025 to enhance sorting infrastructure at three UK sites – two of which will be announced later this year. The initiative aligns with Tetra Pak’s global strategy, which sees over £34m invested annually in the development of carton recycling systems worldwide.
“This robotic arm installation demonstrates our commitment to improving the UK’s recycling infrastructure,” said Awantika Chadha, Sustainability Manager at Tetra Pak UK. “We believe in a highly effective recycling system and will continue to collaborate with innovators like Recycleye to build it.”
The initiative is also backed by the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE UK), which has contributed £24m to the UK’s recycling infrastructure. “This investment enables more cartons to be recycled and kept in the circular economy,” said Mandy Kelly, Chief Executive of ACE UK.
The upgrade comes ahead of the March 2026 rollout of Simpler Recycling, a UK government initiative mandating universal kerbside collection of cartons.
