Consumers remain positive toward recycling

Consumers remain positive toward recycling
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The recycling industry has faced many challenges over the last few years, yet consumers are still overwhelmingly supportive of recycling. According to research commissioned by the Carton Council of North America, which is based in Denton, Texas, 74 percent of survey respondents think recycling is important and people should make it a priority. The Carton Council reports that this represents a 13 percent increase from 2015 when 61 percent of survey respondents said they were supportive of recycling.

An additional 21 percent of respondents reported that people should do what they can to try to recycle.

According to a news release from the Carton Council, the U.S. recycling system has “struggled” through export restrictions and bans for the last few years, leading to some negative media coverage and some confusion for consumers as to what is recyclable. COVID-19 also caused some recycling programs to temporarily pause. Regardless, the survey indicates that consumers generally believe recycling is important and increasingly the right thing to do.

“When asked why they recycle their aseptic and gable top food and beverage cartons, overwhelmingly consumers mention environmental benefits. The top reasons included ‘it’s good for the planet,’ ‘to create a better world for future generations’ and ‘to reduce pollution and my carbon footprint,’” says Carla Fantoni, vice president of communications for the Carton Council and for Tetra Pak Americas.

Yet, what consumers report and what they actually recycle varies, according to the Carton Council. The most recent average national recycling rate according to the Environmental Protection Agency is 34 percent, making now a good time to educate and motivate consumers to recycle.

Fifty-eight percent of consumers said the circumstances of 2020 and the pandemic have made them feel that recycling is even more important than before the pandemic. Additionally, knowing what products are created from the materials recycled overwhelmingly inspires consumers to recycle more (70 percent), the Carton Council reports.

“This tells us the timing to educate is ideal. Consumers are open to being reminded to recycle when shown the benefits,” Fantoni says. “When it comes to cartons specifically, 77 percent said knowing that recycled food and beverage cartons are used to make paper products, such as toilet paper and paper towels, makes them more likely to recycle them.”

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Source: Recycling Today
Consumers remain positive toward recycling
<![CDATA[The recycling industry has faced many challenges over the last few years, yet consumers are still overwhelmingly supportive of recycling. According to research commissioned by the Carton Council of North America, which is based in Denton, Texas, 74 percent of survey respondents think recycling is important and people should make it a priority. The Carton Council reports that this represents a 13 percent increase from 2015 when 61 percent of survey respondents said they were supportive of recycling.An additional 21 percent of respondents reported that people should do what they can to try to recycle.According to a news release from the Carton Council, the U.S. recycling system has “struggled” through export restrictions and bans for the last few years, leading to some negative media coverage and some confusion for consumers as to what is recyclable. COVID-19 also caused some recycling programs to temporarily pause. Regardless, the survey indicates that consumers generally believe recycling is important and increasingly the right thing to do.“When asked why they recycle their aseptic and gable top food and beverage cartons, overwhelmingly consumers mention environmental benefits. The top reasons included ‘it’s good for the planet,’ ‘to create a better world for future generations’ and ‘to reduce pollution and my carbon…