Should I flatten my cartons?

No, you should not flatten your carton. Optic sorters used at Material Recovery Facilities have a higher chance of recognizing cartons for proper sorting while containers still retain their 3D shape. This means cartons can be sorted more efficiently in their 3D form and should not be crushed, folded or flattened in any way before entering the recycle bin.

Show All Answers

1. What is a carton?
2. What are cartons made from?
3. Why cartons?
4. How do I recycle cartons?
5. Where can I recycle cartons?
6. Carton recycling isn’t available in my area yet. Can I mail in my cartons to make sure they’re recycled?
7. Wait, you just said cartons are mostly made of paper. Don’t I want to put them with other paper recyclables?
8. Do I need to remove plastic caps when recycling my cartons?
9. Do I need to rinse my cartons?
10. Should I flatten my cartons?
11. Do recycled cartons become new products?
12. Is there a waxy coating on cartons? Isn’t that why they are difficult to recycle?
13. What happens to the aluminum and plastic left over after the carton recycling process in a paper mill?
14. How many cartons does it take to create building materials?
15. Do the building materials really work?
16. Who is the Carton Council?