All Member Forum

Here's a question for this group concerning the recyclability of fibre wound containers with a metal base, how does a MRF handle these types of containers in their facilities? Does anyone have any insight on this?
Asking for a client who believes that their dried nut confectionery package is highly sustainable which in and of itself is correct as the individual materials (pulp, aluminum, LDPE) are completely recyclable but not if they aren't separated somehow at the sorting facility. 
My municipality accepts this type of package in the blue box program here in Burlington Ontario but poring over their website does not give me any clue as to what they do with them once they take them in. 
Anyone?
Bueller? 

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Martin T. Downey CPP
Sr. Partner
365-999-6121
martin@brandedproductions.ca
www.brandedproductions.ca
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Hi Martin, mixed material packaging normally will not be sorted well at MRF. Assuming you are mentioning packaging like the below photo, this item could be sorted into the aluminum stream if the metal part is aluminum or it could be sorted into the ferrous metal stream if the metal part is tinplate. At an MRF, items are sorted by size, shape, and weight at the front end, then by material type at the later end. The material goes in the sorting stations like a flow. Old corrugated containers (OCC) and paper were sorted by OCC screen and paper screen. The OCC screen and paper screen have similar working principles but different size star screens. Both OCC and paper screens are designed to keep 2-dimensional items flowing on top of the screens and 3-dimensional items fall through the gaps. Think about a flattened corrugated box or a magazine, both have a higher chance to be sorted correctly by OCC screen and paper screen. since the fiber container is 3-dimensional, so it will most likely not get sorted into OCC stream or paper stream. This 3D container will join the flow with other items passing the glass screen. Glass items will be broken at the glass screen and fall through the screen. After the glass screen, the material will flow through different sorting equipment to sort based on material type. A big magnet to pull out tin cans, so if the bottom of this container is tinplate, it could be sorted by the magnet. Eddy current machine is used to sort aluminum, the machine generates a magnetic field to oppose aluminum from the rest of the flow. So if the metal part is aluminum, it could be sorted by the Eddy Current sorter, assuming the paper part of the container is not heavy enough to counter the repulsive force of the magnetic field. 

Here is a link with some sorting process videos. Different MRFs may have different set up on the sequence of equipment. 
Material Recovery and Transfer Facility - Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District

Thanks,
Yang

------------------------------
Yang Li CPP
Global Business Coordinator
TricorBraun
St. Louis MO
(314) 983-2077
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-22-2022 17:07
From: Martin Downey
Subject: Recycling fibre wound containers i.e. frozen juice, Pringles, snack containers, etc

Here's a question for this group concerning the recyclability of fibre wound containers with a metal base, how does a MRF handle these types of containers in their facilities? Does anyone have any insight on this?
Asking for a client who believes that their dried nut confectionery package is highly sustainable which in and of itself is correct as the individual materials (pulp, aluminum, LDPE) are completely recyclable but not if they aren't separated somehow at the sorting facility.
My municipality accepts this type of package in the blue box program here in Burlington Ontario but poring over their website does not give me any clue as to what they do with them once they take them in.
Anyone?
Bueller? 

------------------------------
Martin T. Downey CPP
Sr. Partner
365-999-6121
martin@brandedproductions.ca
www.brandedproductions.ca
------------------------------

Thank you Yang, this is helpful.

------------------------------
Martin T. Downey CPP
Sr. Partner
365-999-6121
martin@brandedproductions.ca
www.brandedproductions.ca
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-23-2022 09:43
From: Yang Li
Subject: Recycling fibre wound containers i.e. frozen juice, Pringles, snack containers, etc

Hi Martin, mixed material packaging normally will not be sorted well at MRF. Assuming you are mentioning packaging like the below photo, this item could be sorted into the aluminum stream if the metal part is aluminum or it could be sorted into the ferrous metal stream if the metal part is tinplate. At an MRF, items are sorted by size, shape, and weight at the front end, then by material type at the later end. The material goes in the sorting stations like a flow. Old corrugated containers (OCC) and paper were sorted by OCC screen and paper screen. The OCC screen and paper screen have similar working principles but different size star screens. Both OCC and paper screens are designed to keep 2-dimensional items flowing on top of the screens and 3-dimensional items fall through the gaps. Think about a flattened corrugated box or a magazine, both have a higher chance to be sorted correctly by OCC screen and paper screen. since the fiber container is 3-dimensional, so it will most likely not get sorted into OCC stream or paper stream. This 3D container will join the flow with other items passing the glass screen. Glass items will be broken at the glass screen and fall through the screen. After the glass screen, the material will flow through different sorting equipment to sort based on material type. A big magnet to pull out tin cans, so if the bottom of this container is tinplate, it could be sorted by the magnet. Eddy current machine is used to sort aluminum, the machine generates a magnetic field to oppose aluminum from the rest of the flow. So if the metal part is aluminum, it could be sorted by the Eddy Current sorter, assuming the paper part of the container is not heavy enough to counter the repulsive force of the magnetic field. 

Here is a link with some sorting process videos. Different MRFs may have different set up on the sequence of equipment.
Material Recovery and Transfer Facility - Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District

Thanks,
Yang

------------------------------
Yang Li CPP
Global Business Coordinator
TricorBraun
St. Louis MO
(314) 983-2077

Original Message:
Sent: 11-22-2022 17:07
From: Martin Downey
Subject: Recycling fibre wound containers i.e. frozen juice, Pringles, snack containers, etc

Here's a question for this group concerning the recyclability of fibre wound containers with a metal base, how does a MRF handle these types of containers in their facilities? Does anyone have any insight on this?
Asking for a client who believes that their dried nut confectionery package is highly sustainable which in and of itself is correct as the individual materials (pulp, aluminum, LDPE) are completely recyclable but not if they aren't separated somehow at the sorting facility.
My municipality accepts this type of package in the blue box program here in Burlington Ontario but poring over their website does not give me any clue as to what they do with them once they take them in.
Anyone?
Bueller? 

------------------------------
Martin T. Downey CPP
Sr. Partner
365-999-6121
martin@brandedproductions.ca
www.brandedproductions.ca
------------------------------