Back to Basics: How To Close the Carton Recycling Gap

While more Americans have access to carton recycling from their homes than a decade ago, rates of carton recycling are still lagging behind other types of recycling in the United States. In many parts of the country, people are doing a good job at recycling their cans, paper, glass and plastic, but not as many people are aware they can also recycle their food and beverage cartons. This is what we call the “carton recycling gap.” The gap means cartons are needlessly ending up in landfills rather than getting recycled into new paper products and building materials.

So how do we close the gap? It starts with practice. Just like learning a new language, learning to add your food and beverage cartons (think about your milk, juice, broth, cream, etc.) to your recycling routine takes practice. But luckily, perfecting your carton recycling is much easier than becoming multilingual!

Start by checking if your recycling program accepts cartons here. Now that you know you can recycle your cartons, get to practicing! Watch these five tips to help us close the carton gap:

1. How do I recycle my cartons? Easy as 1-2-3.