The Yolo County Recycling Team poses for a photo. From left are Kristine DeGuerre – City of Winters Environmental Services Manager; Ryan Burnett – City of West Sacramento Sustainability Manager; Rachel Arnoldy – City of West Sacramento Sustainability Tech; Pamela Hedrick – Yolo County Recycling Supervisor; Susan Strand – City of West Sacramento Senior Waste Reduction Analyst; Marissa Juhler – Yolo County Integrated Waste Management Division Director; and Kalysta Barrios - Waste Management, Inc. Recycling Coordinator. Photo courtesy of Yolo County

YOLO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Just in time for America Recycles Day, also known as National Recycling Day, on Nov. 15, the Yolo County Landfill announced that food and beverage cartons are now accepted in the recycling stream.

Residents serviced by WM in Woodland, West Sacramento, Winters and unincorporated Yolo County will be able to place cartons in their blue-lidded recycling bin, beginning Nov. 15.

Residential customers of Yolo County serviced by Recology in Davis, El Macero, North Davis Meadows and other rural pockets of Davis and Winters, will have access to drop-off cartons for recycling seven days a week, 24 hours a day, at 2727 Second St. in Davis, effective Dec. 1.

“We are excited to announce a new milestone in our efforts to reduce waste and promote sustainability in Yolo County,” said Marissa Juhler, Yolo County director of Integrated Waste Division. “This initiative reflects our commitment to expanding recycling opportunities, protecting our environment, and supporting our economy. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this new program and help us keep Yolo County clean and green for future generations."

This initiative comes in response to the growing demand for recycling services. Gable-top and aseptic cartons are made from a mix of paper, polyethylene and aluminum (aseptic cartons). These layers provide protection against light, air and harmful bacteria but do not prevent them from being recycled. The estimated quantity of gable top and aseptic cartons generated in California is roughly 70,000 tons each year, of which only 20% is recycled in the state, demonstrating an opportunity for additional recycling growth of this material.

Recycled cartons (milk cartons, soup cartons, juice boxes, etc.) provide the raw materials for building products, as well as paper products such as tissue paper and paper towels. Cities throughout the state, such as Napa, San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland are already participating in carton recycling.  Cartons do not belong in trash carts since they are recyclable and are not to be placed in the organics bins to prevent the plastic and aluminum layers from contaminating the finished compost product. Therefore, source separation is necessary to ensure that all three waste streams are utilized correctly.

Pictured here is WM’s processing facility, compacted and baled mixed paper with cartons. Photo courtesy of Yolo County

“The Carton Council is committed to increasing carton recycling so these valuable materials can go on to have a second life,” said Jason Pelz, vice-president of recycling for the Carton Council. “We’re thrilled to see Yolo County join the growing number of communities adding cartons to their programs.”

For many waste service companies, it can be especially challenging and economically cost prohibitive to add a bunker and optical sorter to their materials recovery facility, and for this reason, there have been delays in implementing such programs. That is why WM and Recology have taken different approaches to carton recycling. The addition of carton materials to the recycling stream reflects WM’s $29 million investment in advanced recycling technology at the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station.

With 16 automated optical sorters, the upgraded facility captures and processes a greater percentage of recyclables. This improvement enables a cleaner, high-quality output that can be repurposed in meaningful ways, contributing to natural resource conservation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

These new services demonstrate the county’s desire to continually minimize its environmental footprint and promote sustainable practices in the region. For ideas on how America Recycles Day was celebrated, check out https://tinyurl.com/wastefreetips.