Cartons as in milk cartons for example. Just trash or something that can be recycled and become sustainable? The City of Dallas has launched recently a new effort to add food and beverage cartons as part of its residential curbside recycling program. Dallas will be the first major city in Texas to have a carton recycling program, and boosts the number of households nationally that have access to carton recycling. The effort is supported by the Carton Council, a collaborative of carton manufacturers committed to expanding carton recycling in the U.S. According to the council there are 34 million households in the US and one in three have some form or recycling for cartons.
Cartons are recyclable! Made mainly from paper, cartons are in demand to be recycled into new paper products.
The Carton Council is committed to increasing carton recycling in the United States. By promoting both recycling technology and local collection programs they work to limit the number of valuable cartons that end up in a landfill.
The Carton Council, formed by four of the country’s leading carton manufacturers—Elopak, Evergreen Packaging, SIG Combibloc and Tetra Pak, is specifically committed to increasing carton recycling in the United States. Made mainly from paper, a renewable resource from responsibly managed forests, cartons are recyclable. By promoting both recycling technology and local collection programs, the Carton Council is planning to limit the amount of cartons that end up in a landfill.
The implementation of carton recycling in Dallas is the latest example of a national trend. In 2008, only 18 percent of U.S. households had access to carton recycling programs. Today, this number has nearly doubled to almost 36%, with cities in over 40 states representing approximately 40 million households now accepting cartons in their curbside collection programs. Dallas increases these numbers by an additional 235,000 households, and is setting the bar for other cities in the state of Texas to follow suit. Dallas also joins a growing number of cities across the country such as Los Angeles, New York, and Boston that have expanded their recycling programs to include cartons.
Last year, the City of Dallas recycled more than 50,000 tons of materials and is on track to recycle nearly 65,000 tons this year. Carton recycling will help the city toward their 31% diversion goal for the year. By increasing their recycling rate and coming up with innovative ways to increase waste diversion, the city saved $1,185,260.21 of landfill space.
Article by Andy Soos, appearing courtesy Environmental News Network.
