The number of US households who can recycle food and beverage cartons has increased from 18% in 2009 to over 40% in 2012, according to the latest data from the Carton Council.
Currently more than 47.9 million US households can recycle shelf-stable and refrigerated cartons, which contain common food and beverage items like milk, broth and juice, compared to 21 million households in 2009.
The households are able to recycle cartons through their community's recycling programs, including programs in Dallas, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, San Diego and Los Angeles.
Recycling and recovery company ReCommunity revenue and growth executive vice president Jeff Fielkow said: "The Carton Council has proven to be a crucial and impactful partner in expanding access to recovering the valuable materials contained in cartons."
Firstar Fiber, a materials recovery facility (MRF) in the City of Omaha, Nebraska, CEO Dale Gubbels said: "With the Carton Council's assistance, we were able to secure guaranteed market outlets for cartons, which in turn helped us convince the City of Omaha to allow the inclusion of cartons in the recycling program."
Tetra Pak North America environment vice president and Carton Council of North America recycling projects vice president Jason Pelz said: "Our efforts in the U.S. will not stop at 40 percent access. Now, we see 50 percent on the horizon and are aiming much higher. We want cartons to be as common in curbside bins as they are on store shelves."
The Carton Council was established in 2009 by carton manufacturers Elopak, SIG Combibloc, Evergreen Packaging and Tetra Pak.
