Recycle
Philadelphia Recycles Carton Containers (OJ, Milk & Wine)
Good news for your recycling needs: The Philadelphia Streets Department & Mayor Michael Nutter announced you can now put carton containers (for milk, juice, soup, soy milk, broth, wine, etc) along with your single-stream recycling!
Philadelphia Carton Recycling Rules
The new “carton” category includes the waxy-looking (in reality, plastic over paper) refrigerated containers for milk and juice, and the unrefrigerated cartons that contain other liquids.
The carton recycling program roots from a public-private partnership with the Carton Council. The Carton Council doubled the number of US households with access to carton recycling since 2008 – from 18% to its current 37%. The cartons are lightweight and not expected to budge our current residential recycling rate of almost 20%.
The recycling puzzle is becoming more and more complete – Almost anything in consumer packaging can be put in your recycle bin, and you can bring styrofoam to the Northeast recycling center. Readers, what do you want to think needs to be implemented in Philly’s recycling?
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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake.
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What bout cardboard egg packaging?
I’m in charge of container recycling in my town in New Jersey. We have not yet found how to recycle plasticized cardboard. Please detail how carton material will be recycled after collection or give website that explains single stream separation and purchaser(s). Or, correspond with me so at least we may make more progress. Thanks!
I’m in charge of container recycling in my town in New Jersey. We have not yet found how to recycle plasticized cardboard. Please detail how carton material will be recycled after collection or give website that explains single stream separation and purchaser(s). Or, correspond with me at McNallyHar@AOL.com so at least we may make more progress. Thanks!
Great! I never know what to do with those.
@G posted:
What about cardboard egg packaging?
G: they are made of “cardboard” which almost universally is categorized as “mixed paper”. Philly city recycling has been recycing mixed paper since the very beginning.
If there is any egg yolk from the occasional cracked egg, rinse or wipe it off. Toss the carton in with ‘single-stream’ blue bucket/plastic tub recycling as usual.
P.S. Does everyone remember WHY we clean any-all food particles from our recycling goods? Unless you are feeding pet rodents and insect pests, PLEASE don’t attract more of these lowlife to our curbsides, alleys (and even inside your own residences).
Thanks for your comments Bill. Good point on the cleaning food particles. Also, food particles can contaminate the recycling batches, so it’s another good reason to rinse those off first.