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Reusing materials – sorting beverage packaging
Beverage packaging is valuable material. You can return deposit bottles and cans to any recycling machine in Finland. Other material and non-deposit packaging should be sorted into different waste fractions.
Bottles and cans can be used to make new beverage containers and other products
Returned aluminium cans are melted and used to manufacture new cans. An aluminium can made from recycled materials generates 85 per cent fewer carbon dioxide emissions compared to a can made from virgin materials. Aluminium can be recycled almost endlessly.
Returned PET bottles are ground into plastic pellets. This transparent recycled plastic is used to make bottle blanks for new plastic bottles. Coloured pellets are used to make other recycled PET products.
Glass bottles are crushed, cleaned and sorted by colour. In Finland, this recycled material is used to make things such as foam glass, glass wool and glass aggregate. Generally speaking, the use of recycled glass in glass manufacture can save a significant amount of energy, as the production of virgin glass requires an extremely high temperature of about 1,400–1,600˚C. A small fraction of deposit beer bottles can also be reused as containers immediately after cleaning.
Suomen Palautuspakkaus Oy (PALPA) manages the recycling system for beverage containers with a redeemable deposit in Finland.
(Source: Suomen Palautuspakkaus Oy PALPA)
Other materials are recycled to make new products or burnt to produce energy
Non-deposit beverage containers and other beverage packaging materials are sorted into different waste fractions. Please note that sorting instructions may vary in different cities and municipalities. Check the guidelines for your own area!
Recycling of wine bags in Alko stores has ended as of June 1, 2023.
