86% of households with recycling programs now have access to carton recycling
DENTON, TX / ACCESS Newswire / February 19, 2026 / Tetra Pak
The Carton Council today announced continued growth in carton recycling access across the United States. In 2025, nearly 2.5 million additional households gained the ability to recycle food and beverage cartons, a figure that represents approximately 1.5% of all American households:
Household growth in 2025 (net): 2,464,653
2025 year-end access: 63%
Recycling programs that include cartons (by household): 86%
Carton recycling access is tracked through an independent third-party that measures whether households have a local recycling program that includes cartons. Today, 63% of U.S. households have access to carton recycling programs - up from 18% in 2009 when the Carton Council was founded. Residents can transparently view recycling access using the Carton Council's address locator tool.
"Real-world recycling begins with household access," said Jordan Fengel, Executive Director of the Carton Council. "Before a material can be sorted and recycled, residents must be able to place cartons in the recovery stream. This growth reflects direct collaboration with communities, recyclers, and policymakers to strengthen the recycling system."
The Recycling Partnership has indicated that approximately 73% of U.S. households have access to recycling services. The Carton Council's data indicates cartons are accepted in the vast majority of programs (86% by household), demonstrating broad compatibility with existing collection systems.
Diverse Community Partnerships Drive 2025 Growth
Because many regions already offer recycling services, recent progress increasingly comes from targeted improvements that are aligned with local capacity and existing infrastructure. Several 2025 additions illustrate this range of approaches:
Austin, Texas
An expanded MRF partnership added carton access for approximately 500,000 households and created a foundation for future expansion into nearby communities.Marion County, Florida
Targeted outreach supported the implementation of county-wide drop-off recycling, bringing access to about 127,000 households.Robeson County, North Carolina
Updated program guidance provides roughly 35,000 households with county-wide drop-off recycling.Cedar Falls, Iowa
Coordination with municipal staff established city-wide drop-off access for approximately 16,000 households.Titusville, Florida
A curbside recycling program update added cartons to accepted materials for about 21,000 households.Oregon - Statewide
With packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) now active in Oregon, better aligned collection lists led to 627,000 households gaining access to carton recycling (38% increase).
"At this stage, progress happens one program at a time," said Jason Pelz, Vice President of Recycling at the Carton Council. "We're working directly with local governments and material recovery facilities to update accepted material lists, optimize sortation, and ensure cartons enter recycling streams. Each community addition strengthens supply for established and emerging recycling end markets."
Access remains the entry point that enables the rest of the system to function. The 2025 increase reflects continued coordinated growth across collection programs, sorting facilities, and recyclers - demonstrating steady, measurable improvement in real-world recycling infrastructure.
Photo Caption: Recovered cartons at a U.S. tissue mill are recycled into new paper products.
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About the Carton Council
The Carton Council is composed of four leading carton manufacturers, Elopak, Novolex, SIG and Tetra Pak. Formed in 2009, the Carton Council works to deliver long-term collaborative solutions to divert valuable cartons from the landfill. Cartons are commonly used to package products like milk, broth, soup, juice and other beverages. When recycled, they can be transformed into premium building materials or new paper products, contributing to a circular economy.
Through a united effort, the Carton Council is committed to building a sustainable infrastructure for carton recycling in the U.S. and Canada and works toward its goals of adding access to carton recycling, as well as increasing recycling rates. For more information, visit recyclecartons.com.
Contact:
Brendon Holland Communications Manager
brendon.holland@cartoncouncil.org
940-999-7221
Find more stories and multimedia from Tetra Pak at 3blmedia.com.
Contact Info:
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SOURCE: Tetra Pak
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/carton-recycling-access-expands-to-2.5-million-new-u.s.-households-in-1139410
