Tetra Pak Backs AI Tech to Revolutionise Recycling Sorting in the UK

Tetra Pak, the Switzerland-based food processing and packaging giant, has announced another wave of investment aimed at boosting the UK's ability to sort food and beverage cartons. At the heart of this initiative is the introduction of artificial intelligence-powered optical sorting technology, a first for the UK.

The company partnered with British tech startup Recycleye to install this AI-driven system at Cumbria Waste Management’s materials recycling facility in Carlisle. The new setup, called Recycleye QuantiSort, uses a combination of AI and high-definition cameras to identify beverage cartons among mixed waste. Once detected, pneumatic valves spring into action, ejecting the cartons so they can be recycled appropriately. Tetra Pak reports that the system achieves more than 98% purity in the sorted cartons and can be trained far more efficiently than older sorting methods.

This upgrade will enable Cumbria Waste Management to significantly increase its capacity for processing food and beverage cartons. The facility services a vast region in northwest England, covering areas such as Cumberland, Westmorland & and Furness, as well as parts of Scotland.

Two additional recycling facilities in the UK are also being upgraded with support from Tetra Pak. With these enhancements, the company’s total investment in UK sorting infrastructure for 2025 has reached $1.9 million. Back in May, J&B Recycling in Hartlepool became the first site to benefit from new robotic sorting arms—another solution developed by Recycleye. The third site to receive support will be named later this year.

This UK effort is part of Tetra Pak’s broader strategy, which includes a global commitment to invest more than $46 million annually in collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure for food and beverage cartons. Out of that total, $3.3 million has been specifically allocated to support UK-based sorting initiatives.

The timing is no coincidence. These investments come just ahead of the UK government’s new Simpler Recycling policy, set to roll out in March 2026. Tetra Pak has worked closely with policymakers to shape the legislation, which will require every household in England to have access to curbside carton recycling. Businesses are also required to separate certain recyclable materials, including cartons, into designated bins.

Awantika Chadha, sustainability manager at Tetra Pak UK, says, “This announcement of another upgrade to a U.K. MRF demonstrates our commitment to improving the U.K.’s recycling infrastructure and transforming the U.K.’s circular economy. We are particularly pleased to be helping to implement AI-powered optical sorter technology in the U.K. for the first time. We hope this collaboration with Cumbria Waste Management and Recycleye will act as a blueprint for the upgrade of food and beverage carton sorting capabilities across the U.K.” 

Victor Dewulf, co-founder and CEO of Recycleye, says, “We are proud to collaborate with Tetra Pak and Cumbria Waste to deliver Recycleye QuantiSort for bulk recovery of food and beverage cartons, using a cutting-edge AI optical sorter innovation. This project demonstrates the capability of AI to detect and recover items such as food and beverage cartons, offering MRFs a flexible technology to adapt to changing material streams.”