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ISSUE 04-05 / 2001 |
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| Materials / Recycling | BACK to contents |
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Handy, recyclable multi-pack system for PET BOTTLES
Multiple packs of PET beverage bottles are generally shrink or foil wrapped, either with or without a cardboard tray. The conventional alternative is a rigid returnable crate, which is designed principally for 12 bottles. Now a German company has developed an interesting new concept that combines convenience, versatility and recyclability.
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| PET crates made from recycled PET | Even the complete carrying system consists of recycled PET |
An interesting new concept has been developed for
the beverages market by Franz Delbrouck GmbH of Bieberkamp in Germany - PET
crates for PET bottles. It is offered as a very low cost alternative to conventional
plastic crates.
The extremely lightweight crate consists of a moulded tray suitable for four,
six or more bottles and a handle with side supports that clip into the sides
of the tray base forming a complete carrying system that wraps around the
bottles. The whole thing is made from recycled PET and is known as the
LighTray.
The handle and side supports have been designed so that the multiple packs
can be combined in pallet-sized layers as required, and individual six-packs
can be separated from the layer with the help of tear-off strips. The tray
and the side supports stay with the layer and the top part of the LighTray
stays on the bottles in the six-pack, making them easy and convenient to carry.
In the packaging line each tray is filled with bottles and then the upper
part (side supports and handle) is firmly clipped onto the tray. Each layer
of Ligh- Trays sits snugly on top of the bottles in the layer below and forms
a stable load on the pallet.
In the retail store shelf stacking is speeded up and it is an easy task to
open the carrier and remove a single bottle if required. The bottles remain
highly visible in the crate and on the pallet, giving the product added exposure.
The handy, easy to carry six-pack concept helps sales promotion.
Returned for refill or disposal
The LighTray can be used for returnable as well as non-returnable bottles
because it is made from 100% PET and can thus be recycled with the bottles
it holds. The tray is either disposed of by the consumer with the bottles
for recycling or is returned to the retailer filled with empty refillable
bottles. When trays are returned to the bottling plant it is a simple matter
to remove the upper part and send it for recycling. The tray base itself is
re-useable.
The main advantages claimed for the LighTray system are its very light weight,
low usage of material, low space requirements, especially when empty, low
cost and a low level of packaging waste. It can be supplied suitable for all
generally available bottle sizes from 0.25 to 2 litres.
Delbrouck claim that the costs of their new system are comparable with those
of single use foil or carton packaging, and take up no more transport space
than foil wrapped multi-packs.
What next?
We now have PET bottles, PET labels and PET bottle crates. Are we about to
see PET caps and a fully recyclable PET multi-pack?
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