Denver Recycling Program Adds Cartons

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, in partnership with Waste Management of Colorado, the Carton Council and WhiteWave Foods, has announced that food and beverage cartons are now being collected for recycling through the Denver Public Works’ residential recycling program, Denver Recycles.

Denver households can now place all empty food and beverage cartons in their Denver Recycles cart. Products commonly packaged in cartons include milk, juice, cream, egg whites and egg substitutes, soup and broth, protein drinks, eggnog, wine, tofu and ice cream and frozen yogurt.

“Improving Denver’s recycling and waste diversion is a leading component of our Greenprint Denver initiatives,” says Hancock. “We’re excited to partner with Waste Management, the Carton Council and WhiteWave Foods to bring this new recycling opportunity to our residents. I’m especially excited to be making this addition to the recycling program because there are not only significant environmental benefits, but also powerful economic benefits both locally and globally.”

The city of Denver has partnered with Waste Management to sort and market the materials collected through Denver Public Works’ Denver Recycles program for close to 20 years. Waste Management says the addition of cartons to the curbside recycling program is possible because of its continued efforts to invest in and improve its Denver material recovery facility (MRF) and its partnership with the Carton Council to expand recycling market development.

“We are pleased to be able to partner with the city of Denver, the Carton Council and WhiteWave Foods to create the opportunity to recycle more waste,” says Scott Bradley, area vice president, Waste Management. “As the leading recycler in Colorado, we will continue to partner with the city to bring new and innovative opportunities to the advance recycling in Denver and the metro region.”

Blaine McPeak, president of WhiteWave Foods, says, “As a local Colorado company and the maker of Silk, Horizon Organic and International Delight products, we’re proud to support carton recycling efforts and to bring valuable information about the benefits of carton recycling to our more than 50 million consumers nationwide, including Denver residents.”

Denver says it is now the largest city in the Rocky Mountain region to recycle cartons. The city is part of a national movement to add cartons to residential recycling programs. In 2008, only 18 percent of U.S. households had access to carton recycling programs. Today nearly 36 percent of households have access to carton recycling programs. Cities in more than 40 states representing almost 42 million households now accept cartons as part of their residential collection programs.

The cartons are shipped to paper mills, which use their paper fiber to produce tissue products.

During the next several months, Denver, Waste Management, the Carton Council and WhiteWave Foods will help promote the addition of cartons to the city’s recycling program. Starting in May, King Soopers and Whole Foods will start supporting efforts to promote carton recycling by placing education materials in their Denver stores.

Recycling participants will receive information about this change through a direct mail postcard. Residents can visit www.DenverGov.org/DenverRecycles for updates.