Can milk, juice and soup cartons be recycled?
How to prepare food and drink cartons and choose the right local collection.
A carton is not an ordinary cardboard box
Milk, juice and soup cartons combine materials to keep their contents fresh. Do not assume they belong with cereal boxes or delivery cardboard. Check the local carton instructions, even when both containers look mainly paper-based.
Empty and rinse
Remove remaining food or drink and give the carton a quick rinse. Recycle Now advises leaving plastic tops on cartons. Follow any collection-specific instructions about flattening; do not stuff cartons with unrelated packaging.
Find an accepting route
Search your council’s list for food and drink cartons, not simply “cardboard”. Where a dedicated drop-off is used, check the location and accepted items before travelling.
Keep pouches separate
A flexible baby-food or pet-food pouch is not the same as a rigid drinks carton. It may need a retailer’s soft-plastic scheme, depending on the package and the collection point.
Compare soft plastic packaging and which household bin to use.
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