Can Plastic Beer Kegs Be Recycled?

Yes, plastic beer kegs are recyclable; however, it will depend on the type of materials that have been used in manufacturing the keg. They are accepted at recycling facilities throughout the world, thus creating a circular economy. While the International Solid Waste Association estimates that up to 60% of PET is recycled in Europe, these numbers only mean higher when excluding non-packaging products such kettles and other drink containers.

Companies such as KeyKeg and Petainer make kegs with recyclability in mind. Circular programs such as that of KeyKeg for instance are doing just this: ensuring you get back what you put in. Poste use kegs are collected, processed, and turned into new use kegs! The system for this solution reduces the demand of virgin materials from 20% to 30%, which ultimately brings down your cost and impact on the environment. Given that 60% less energy is needed to recycle PET than to produce it from virgin materials, it makes the choice a more sustainable one.

The beverage industry especially benefits from one-way plastic beer kegs. Facilities then grind them into granules to make new products following their use. An entire 30-litre plastic beer keg — weighing in at about 2.5kg — can be fully recycled to provide raw materials for other plastics products. This also parallel to a worldwide effort on reducing wastage, such as through the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Plastic beer kegs that can be reused, also have a role to play in sustainability. They only need to be replaced after 20 uses, lasting much longer — and using fewer resources in the first place. At the end of a keg’s life cycle, it is recycled instead of ending up in a landfill. We keep disposal costs for companies that use these solutions — $50 to $100 per ton for non-recyclable waste.

Environmental footprint of plastic beer kegs The first thought that comes to mind when pondering the environmental footprint of a keg, be it made from plastic or another material, is carbon emissions. For example, recycling PET material emits 1.5kg of CO₂ per kg as opposed to 4.5kgs for virgin materials (source). This is a day-and-night contrast with their efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of breweries.

Coca-Cola has used this recyclable plastic to create kegs for its Freestyle machines, which lends itself nicely to scale. The company chooses to embed recycling in its supply chain, so that it also requires less energy to run efficiently while eliminating waste. As Richard Branson puts it “Sustainability is the mother of innovation, and innovation the father of profitability” This practice gives life to a sustainable economy.

To learn more about recyclables, check out the advantages of a plastic beer keg.

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