In a groundbreaking partnership, malt producer Crisp Malt and TerraCycle are teaming up to recover, recycle, and repurpose used malt sacks, aiming to divert 70 tonnes of plastic from landfills and incinerators each year.

Source: PackagingEurope

TerraCycle Zero Waste Boxes are specialized containers for storing, shipping, and recycling challenging-to-recycle waste that is not typically handled by traditional recycling facilities or local councils. These boxes can now be bought directly through Crisp Malt's sales or customer service teams in the UK, with the initial 100 boxes offered at a 50% discount to mark the launch.

Customers are urged to deposit their empty malt sacks into these boxes for recycling. A single large Zero Waste Box is estimated to hold approximately 80-100 empty 25kg malt sacks, with recycling, shipping, and handling costs covered at around £131 per box, excluding VAT.

Additionally, a bulk collection and recycling service will be introduced by Crisp Malt and TerraCycle, with costs expected to be comparable to existing disposal methods.

Crisp Malt has emerged as the first major malt producer in the UK to facilitate the collection, recycling, and repurposing of its used malt sacks.

Last June, the Zero Waste Bag initiative was introduced, focusing on waste from fourteen common categories not typically handled in UK waste streams, such as crisp and snack packets, cosmetic packaging, and medicine blister packs.

Furthermore, TerraCycle collaborated with Aldi to pilot a recycling program for blister packs from their own-brand medicines. Shoppers could return their empty blister packs in an envelope with a prepaid shipping label, allowing TerraCycle to reprocess the plastic and aluminum foil into recycled materials for new products.