The Addition of Food and Beverage Cartons to the Denver Recycles Program
Food and beverage cartons are now recyclable as a part of the Denver Recycles’ residential recycling program. The addition of carton packages marks another innovation in the City’s recycling advancements and success, and now nearly all household containers used by residents are recyclable.
Denver households may now begin placing all empty food and beverage cartons in their purple Denver Recycles cart. Products commonly packaged in cartons include:
- milk (dairy, soy and almond)
- juice
- small juice and milk boxes
- cream
- egg whites and egg substitutes
- soup and broth
- protein drinks
- eggnog, wine, tofu
- ice cream and frozen yogurt
Please empty all food and liquid, and remove straws and caps. Please do not flatten.
“Improving Denver’s recycling and waste diversion is a leading component of our Greenprint Denver initiatives,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “We’re excited to partner with Waste Management, the Carton Council and WhiteWave Foods to bring this new recycling opportunity to our residents. I’m especially excited to be making this addition to the recycling program because there are not only significant environmental benefits, but also powerful economic benefits both locally and globally. We should all be proud to be part of a world-class City that values these benefits.”
Carton recycling is becoming increasingly popular across the United States. Denver is now the largest city in the Rocky Mountain region to recycle cartons, and is part of a national movement of major cities across the country that have expanded their residential recycling programs to include cartons. The recycled carton paper fibers are a valuable resource for making new products and consist of some of the highest quality fiber among recyclable products. Consequently, cartons have global demand and are shipped to paper mills, where the paper fiber is extracted to make new products such as paper towels, tissue, and even building materials.
To find out more about recycing cartons visit us at DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles.