Can You Recycle Milk Cartons With Plastic Spouts
Milk cartons: recyclable or not?
Left behind.
When we retrieved our recycling bin from the curb terminal week, we noticed that a milk carton had been left backside -- with non a tin or bottle to continue him company. Hmm, we thought -- aren't those recyclable?
We mentioned the question on Twitter -- and the consensus was: aye... no... maybe. Other people had the same question.
So we did a piddling research.
Cartons 101
A quick class on food/beverage cartons -- there are generally two types: gable top (instance: milk cartons) and asceptic (example: juice boxes, boxes of soup or goop). Gable meridian cartons are constructed of cardboard sandwiched between two layers of plastic. Asceptic cartons are cardboard, plastic, and a thin layer of aluminum -- that layer allows the stuff inside to stay shelf stable for a much longer period of time. (A European company chosen TetraPak is responsible for the popularity of much of this type of packaging.) [Carton Council / World 911] [Wikipedia]
So, recyclable or not?
The brusque respond: yes -- according to Meghan Blood-red, the recycling specialist for the city of Albany.
"Pretty much any potable carton is recyclable," she told us today. She said the companies that harvest the recyclable cardboard from the cartons take figured out means of separating information technology from the plastic and aluminum. And she says in that location'south demand for that material: "Even though there's a layer of plastic, the newspaper in betwixt is very high quality."
OK, but what about the plastic spout on milk and juice cartons?
Non a trouble, she says. "The processors of the cartons have ways of dealing with those -- it's like the plastic rings on soda bottles -- they can separate them out when they get to the recycling facility."
What about caps?
Caps are still a no get. Reddish says they tend to autumn through the machinery used by recovery companies, and then they're non nerveless.
Ruby says pretty much whatsoever food or beverage container tin get in the bin. Go along an center out for plastics that don't have a recycling symbol with a number -- those are oftentimes not recyclable. Any plastic number 1-seven is fine in Albany.
And, of course, containers should be cleaned out before going in the bin.
So why was our milk carton left by himself? Crimson says she'southward non sure -- it could have just gotten stuck in the bin. It happens.
The city of Albany is a fellow member of a recycling partnership that includes 12 other regional municipalities. Scarlet says those municipalities generally follow the same guidelines, simply the recyclables from each town don't necessarily end up at the aforementioned recovery facility, and then there may be a few differences. Your carton mileage may vary. If you're non sure, requite your town a call.
Earlier on AOA: Albany switches to single-stream recycling
Source: http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2012/06/04/milk-cartons-recyclable-or-not
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