“We credit the momentum in carton recycling to our continued approach of working with stakeholders throughout the entire recycling value chain,” said Larine Urbina, vice president of communications for the Carton Council. “Whether it involves working with local communities, end markets, MRFs, schools, local governments, or other third-party organizations, we’re focused on continuing our collaborative efforts in 2023.”
An example of this collaboration took place last year in Michigan, where end markets for food and beverage cartons are geographically close, creating an ideal location for working to capture as many cartons as possible. Great Lakes Tissue, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), as part of NextCycle Michigan, and the Carton Council joined forces to help improve Michigan’s recycling and manufacturing infrastructure.
In addition, schools continue to be an important focus for the Carton Council. With more than four billion food and beverage cartons consumed in schools every year, school carton recycling programs encourage children to learn about the importance of recycling and enable communities to recover larger quantities of cartons. In 2022, the Carton Council partnered with SCS Engineers and Sustain Dane to provide a grant to help grow and expand carton recycling programs at schools in Madison, Wis.
Cartons also helped Chief Charlo Elementary School, a pilot recycling program in Missoula, Mont. make a big impact with their zero waste goals, resulting in over a 90% reduction in the volume of trash. In 2023, the school district plans to expand the zero-waste program to all elementary schools in the district.
Entering 2023, the Carton Council knows how important it is to continue to educate residents about carton recycling. As household access expanded last year, so did consumer confidence in recycling of cartons. According to Carton Council commissioned national research, more than half of consumers (55%) are confident that food and beverage cartons are definitely accepted via curbside recycling programs, a 7% increase from 2020. However, uncertainty remains the number one reason for not recycling them.
Recognizing the importance of having accurate information on community websites about recycling, the Carton Council awarded three education grants to reward accurate and strong communications surrounding cartons. They went to: Alleghany County, NC; Summit County, CO; and Durango, CO. The 2023 Community Education Award contest will be expanded to any entity that accepts cartons and educates its residents about the local recycling program.
After working with Sustain Dane on their Master Recyclers program in 2021, the Carton Council continued its support by sponsoring the Sustain Dane Summit and provided a grant in 2022, in conjunction with the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, to create a Spanish language and culturally relevant recycling education program for the Latinx community. Part of the Sustain Dane Recycle Better project, the Carton Council is looking forward to the implementation of this program in 2023.
The Carton Council also made significant leadership updates last year, including appointing Carla Fantoni as vice president of engagement strategy, Larine Urbina as vice president of communications, and Lena Zodda as vice president of sustainability and school recycling.
