November 15th is America Recycles Day: Don’t Forget To Recycle Cartons

This post was sponsored by the Carton Council as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

America Recycles Day is November 15th and this is a great time to review what can be recycled. Most people think of metal, glass, and paper right away but then they can get a little fuzzy on what else can be recycled. For example are milk cartons recyclable? Can batteries and other household goods be recycled? There are so many things that can and should be recycled and food and beverage cartons are a prime item that many people overlook simply because they don’t know that they can recycle them.

A Mission To Add One New Thing To Your Recycling Bin

If you have questions about what exactly you can and can’t recycle, try checking your local recycling website for the details- I bet you find at least one thing, you didn’t even know you could recycle and it will feel so good to start adding that to your recycling bin! And then spread the word and let your friends know so they can help save resources too!

Recycle Cartons

Food and beverage cartons can be recycled and they just may be the overlooked item you can start adding to your recycling bin. Food and beverage cartons are made mostly from paper with a thin layer of plastic and sometimes aluminum so often many people don’t realize they can recycle them but there are processing plants that separate the layers and recycle!

With an average of 93% product and only 7% packaging, food and beverage cartons use a low amount of packaging material making them a very efficient packaging choice to help preserve our Earth’s resources. Cartons have become popular containers for food and beverage products since they are lightweight and compact and help reduce shipping cost and the carbon footprint. You can find shelf stable cartons for things like soup, soy milk, water and even wine, or refrigerated cartons for milk, creamer and juice. Both types of cartons can be recycled by many recycling centers.

The Carton Council of North America is composed of four leading carton manufacturers, Elopak, SIG Combibloc, Evergreen Packaging and Tetra Pak. Through a united effort, the Carton Council is committed to increasing the recycling of food and beverage cartons in the U.S. which I think is so fantastic. Right now, carton recycling is available to more than 62% of U.S. households. To check if carton recycling is available in your area, you can use the zip code locator at recyclecartons.com, or check with your local program. If it is not yet available consider giving your local recycling company a call to see if it is coming soon to help encourage them.

With every carton you recycle, you’re helping to preserve our environment and limited natural resources. Recycled cartons become new products like napkins, tissue paper, and even building materials saving tons of virgin materials. Recycled cartons also mean less unnecessary landfill waste. Even though about 75% of our waste stream is recyclable, most of this trash ends up in landfills that release harmful methane gas and speed up global warming.

When recycling cartons, simply place empty cartons into your recycling bin (no need to rinse and caps may be left on.) Don’t bother to crush cartons as they are recycled more efficiently when left in their original shape.

Did you know you could recycle cartons? Help spread the word! What are some examples of recyclable food and beverage cartons currently in your house?