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Survey: 61% of consumers say they always recycle food, beverage cartons

Survey: 61% of consumers say they always recycle food, beverage cartons
This according to a national survey on attitudes and beliefs related to carton recycling that also indicates consumers are looking at brands to help actively drive the recycling of their packages.

Americans are recycling their food and beverage cartons more than ever and continue to look to brands to actively help drive the recycling of their products’ packages, according to a new survey by the Carton Council of North America. The national survey of more than 6,900 U.S. adults showed that 61% of respondents report they always recycle their food and beverage cartons, up 11% from when the survey was last conducted two years ago.

“The survey findings highlight that as more Americans have gained access to food and beverage carton recycling, awareness that cartons are recyclable has also increased,” says Jason Pelz, Vice President of Recycling Projects for the Carton Council of North America and Vice President, Environment, for Tetra Pak Americas. “This validates that the widespread consumer education conducted by companies, brands, and local communities, as well as our own campaigns, is working and gives us great motivation to continue driving our efforts.”

According to the survey, consumers have high expectations for the brands they purchase. Fifty-six percent said their loyalty to a food or beverage brand is impacted by the brand’s engagement with environmental causes.The survey also found that consumers overwhelmingly expect food and beverage brands to be committed to recycling. More than nine out of 10 (92%) said brands should take an active role in helping to increase the recycling of packages, up slightly from 2016.

A product’s packaging continues to be a key factor in determining whether an item is recyclable. The survey showed that packaging remains the top source for determining recyclability (47%), while friends and family as well as the news gained momentum. There was a 16% increase in family and friends as a source for recycling (34%) and a 17% increase in the news as a source (29%) from 2016. Notable, nearly 65% said that if a package did not have a recycling symbol or language indicating the item is recyclable, they would assume it is not recyclable.

Additionally, consumers’ belief that recycling is important is at an all-time high. A total of 94% of survey participants said recycling is important, and people should do what they can to recycle, up from 90% from two years ago. And nearly 74% of respondents believe people should make recycling a priority, up significantly from 61% during the last survey.

“Consumers increasingly believe that recycling is important and are looking to companies and brands to help,” says Pelz. “This provides an opportunity for brands to become even more engaged in recycling and consumer education.”

As of January 2017, food and beverage cartons can carry the standard “Please Recycle” logo based on the milestone that more than 60% of U.S. households have access to carton recycling, a threshold set by the Federal Trade Commission green guidelines for packaging.

Senior Editor, Packaging World

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