Step Into the Classroom: Recycling 101
We all know that recycling is good for the environment, but we still sometimes find ourselves slipping. It’s not because we don’t care about the environment, but because recycling can be confusing. Today, we end the confusion!
If your city or town is part of the majority of U.S. households that can recycle cartons (look up your address here), just toss your food and beverage cartons into the recycling bin along with your other containers. Seems simple enough, but you probably still have some questions. Below are answers to the ones we get the most:
- Q: What types of cartons can I recycle?
- A: All types! Milk cartons, soy milk cartons, almond milk cartons, juice cartons, soup cartons, wine cartons, large cartons, small cartons, and the list goes on.
- Q: Do I need to remove the cap?
- A: Nope. Just empty the contents and then screw the cap back on. The carton components will be separated later at the recycler.
- Q: Do I need to wash out the carton?
- A: No. As long as the carton is empty, it is okay to toss into the recycling bin. If you collect recyclables inside your home and are worried about odor, you may want to rinse them out though.
- Q: Aren’t cartons difficult to recycle because they are multi-layer packaging?
- A: The process is actually not that complicated. Cartons are sorted from the rest of your recycling and sent to paper mills where the fiber is separated from the other materials, then used to make paper products. Or the sorted cartons are sent to recycling companies that use the whole carton to make building materials.
Have a question not covered by Recycling 101? Tweet it to us @RecycleCartons.
