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Annie B. Bond

Recycling of Plastic Spouts on Cartons

posted by Annie B. Bond Jan 16, 2008 12:00 am
filed under: Blogs, Ask Annie
Recycling of Plastic Spouts on Cartons
12 comments
Sam M., VT asks:

Our local organic milk company has changed to packaging with a plastic spout and screw cap. How do the recycling people handle that, or can they?

Annie:

You'd think the packaging manufacturers would have been creative and planet-friendly in their design, but no. Despite green claims from natural product companies such as Silk Soymilk, paper cartons with those embedded plastic spouts are a real pain because yes, the paper is recyclable, but no, the plastic spout and cap system isn't.

You have to cut out the plastic spout and throw it, along with the screw cap, in the non-recyclable trash! I know this isn't that easy, but the plastic of these cartons can't be recycled.

And be careful not to cut yourself when you use the scissors to remove the plastic gizmos! The safest way that I have found to get the embedded plastic spouts off the paper carton is to unfold the package, carefully opening all the seams, rinse it out, flatten it, and then cut away the plastic with scissors.

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Annie B. Bond

12 comments

12 comments

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12 comments add your comment
Carrie Rudow

Wow!! I always thought the cartons were not recycle-able at all! I will start rinsing them out and recycling them today! Hugh, and I thought I was a recycling guru...

Lori B.
  • Lori B. says
  • Sep 3, 2009 11:08 AM

I take loads of stuff to http://www.recyclingservices.org/contact.htm, in Pottstown, PA, they take the cartons with the spout, and caps are recycled too. My dream that everyone reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle......:)

Kim O.
  • Kim O. says
  • Jun 22, 2009 11:46 AM

One of my local middle schools takes donations of all these plastic covers from milk, soy milk juice etc. I think they turn it in as a fund raiser. I collect all my bottle caps and turn them in to this school. I also use containers to collect them in that I know thay can reuse. I use the big ice cream tubs the one with the handles. I know thay can use them for art supplies or things like that. Look for a school who takes these donations. You can also make magnets out of these bottle covers. I collect funny sayings and glue them in, or have children paint and decorate.

Andi Vincent

Actually I've been the recyling center in my town and they do have a bin for caps and such.

Barbara C.

Hi. Ive found that I can unfold it, so that it is totally flat, then I Pull the plastic away & off the flattened container. The wee bit of paper left behind on the plastic can be pulled off, too! Hope this Helps, Barbara

Kelli K.

I use 8th Continent Soy Milk (I think it tastes better than Silk and is generally $1.50 cheaper) and the entire container is made of recyclable plastic. It goes in with the milk jugs. I hope this helps!

Elizabeth Rothman

This really is about the topic, not some random other question. I find the spouts easily pry off or push in, depending on their shape, with a butter knife as my tool. Nothing sharp to worry about, no fifteen minutes of unfolding, etc. Get rid of the spout, five seconds, fill with water and drain it to rinse, flatten it or not and throw it in recycling, and then move on to other things.

Elizabeth Rothman

This really is about the spouts and not a random other question- I find that they pry off or push in (depending on the spout) fairly easily with a bread knife. Opening, washing, flattening? Not for me. I pry off the spout, give the container a rinse, flatten it and move on with life.

Suzanne Nussey

Can you recommend a non-toxic cleaner to remove candle soot from a wall painted in high quality, low gloss latex? Thanks, Suzanne

Socorra Chappell

Hello Annie (& all), I hope this is the right place to pose my inquiry. I searched the site for the correct place to put it, and there seems to be no other available/appropriate space...
Could you pls. suggest a colon cleanser for me, a 30yr. old female, in pretty good health? I cleanse about once a year to reduce the amount of build up in my system, but that usu. only covers the lower colon. I am looking for a product that will produce a full colon cleanse.
I have seen a few advertised as of recent, however most are accompanied by some other detoxifier, or the like (that the manufacturer claims is needed to enhance the effect of the cleanser), which I am sure may be helpful, still I would rather not waste $$$ on a package deal that will possibly sit in my medicine cabinet for the next ??? yrs, when I may be able to purchase just one product that can generate the thorough cleanse I need.
Pls let me know if you have any suggestions as to a cleanser that may be right for me.
Thank you, in advance, for your help!!

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