Carton and Plastic Pouch Recycling Made Easy

Most types of cartons are recyclable at the curb, including refrigerated cartons and ones that sit on the pantry shelf. They’re made of paperboard in between 2 layers of plastic lining. Shelf-life cartons also contain a layer of aluminum to keep oxygen out. The plastic and aluminum can be separated in the recycling process.

Cartons are a smart and efficient product because of their packaging design. They are light-weight and have a great product to package ratio, with 94% product and only 6% package. The shipping process is more efficient because the cartons are lighter, meaning more product can be shipped by fewer trucks. Using fewer trucks results in using less gas which mean less greenhouse gas emissions (Recycle Cartons).

So go ahead and recycle all juice boxes, broth boxes, milk cartons, juice cartons, etc. You can leave the lids and labels on them, but please rinse them out before recycling. For juice boxes, make sure to remove the straw and throw it in the garbage because it isn’t recyclable through your curbside program.

While juice boxes are recyclable, juice pouches and other plastic pouches are not accepted in your curbside recycling program. These plastic pouches are made of different layers of plastics, aluminum, polyester, and other materials that are difficult to sort and recycle. The materials are recyclable on their own, but too difficult to recycle in a regular facility (Recycle Bank). You can throw them in the garbage, or through Terracycle.