Carton Council names education award recipients

The Carton Council, Denton, Texas, has announced the recipients of its 2023 Community Education Award program, designed to incentivize greater resident education surrounding recycling, with a focus on food and beverage carton recycling.

The council says 11 organizations from across the United States are receiving $2,000 for their resident education communications. The Dearborn County Solid Waste Management District of Aurora, Indiana, will receive an additional $3,000 for “outstanding implementation of communication efforts, going above and beyond expectations.”

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“The Carton Council recognizes that at the local level, communities are often strapped for resources,” says Larine Urbina, vice president of communications for the Carton Council. “This program was created to help with resident education, providing participants with tools and extra incentives to refresh and enhance their recycling outreach.”

In addition to Dearborn County, participating organizations included Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste in Athens, Georgia; Public Works Department of the city of Chester, Pennsylvania; the city of High Point, North Carolina; the city of Peoria, Arizona; Eco-Cycle, Boulder, Colorado; Henderson County Solid Waste, Hendersonville, North Carolina; Napa Recycling & Waste Services, Napa, California; Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO), Gurnee, Illinois; Village of Ridgewood Division of Recycling, Ridgewood, New Jersey, and; Village of Romeoville, Illinois.

“We are thrilled to have engaged with the Carton Council in enhancing community knowledge about recycling, including food and beverage cartons,” says Stefanie Hoffmeier, outreach coordinator for the Dearborn County Solid Waste Management District. “Each informed resident represents a vital step towards improving environmental progress in our community. This is not just about recycling; it’s about empowering our residents to make sustainable choices that echo far beyond today.”

According to the Carton Council, participating communities had to conduct a minimum of three education activities in 2023, including updating their websites to define carton recycling accurately and clearly; generating articles and advertisements promoting their local recycling programs; sharing recycling education content across social media platforms or; organizing community events and tours.

Formed in 2009, the Carton Council is composed of four carton manufacturers—Elopak, Pactiv Evergreen, SIG Group and Tetra Pak. The organization says its chief goals are to deliver long-term collaborative solutions to divert valuable cartons from landfills and increase carton recycling rates nationwide.