Easy Ways to Celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15


Want an easy way to celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15th? Check out these ideas and learn more about ways you can easily go green with your family.

This post was sponsored by the Carton Council as part of an Ambassador Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Want an easy way to celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15th? Check out these ideas and learn more about ways you can easily go green with your family. #RecycleYourCartons #Recycling #GreenLiving #EcoFriendlyLiving #AmericaRecyclesDay

Did you know that November 15th is America Recycles Day?

No? I didn’t either until a few weeks ago and I think it’s such a great day to remind us to recycle whatever we can. It’s also a fantastic day to teach our children about the importance of recycling as well as what can be recycled.

Most families are pros at recycling glass and plastic containers. Even certain paper products. But cartons are not a commonly known recyclable item. Cartons are used to package items like soups, broths, milk, juice, beans, tomatoes, water, wine, and more.

There are two types of cartons:

  • Aseptic/shelf-stable: These containers are 74% paper, 22% plastic and 4% aluminum. They are found on shelves and are commonly used for soups, water, milk, juice, beans, wine, and nutritional shakes.
  • Gable-top/refrigerated: These containers are about 80% paper and 20% plastic. They are found in the chilled section of the grocery store and are used to package items like milk, juice, cream and other beverages.

These cartons are recycled just like other recyclable items – toss them into your recycle bin and drop them off at the recycling facility or have them pick the bin up. No need to rinse them (as long as it’s empty) or even crush them. Caps go with, too! And then they’re well on their way to becoming other paper products or environmentally friendly building materials.

By recycling food and beverage cartons of all types, you are actively helping to reduce litter and keep our environment greener. This is important for us to learn and teach your children so they can make an impact on the world with us. And you can easily teach them even more with the help of the Carton Council.

While I think it’s always fun to learn how we can easily help the planet with simple steps such as recycling cartons, holidays make everything even more fun! So if you’re looking to celebrate America Recycles Day with your kids on November 15, check out some simple ideas below.

Ways to Celebrate America Recycles Day

Select one of these ways to reduce waste at home and make a game out of it. Have your kids select a fun bag that you already have to go grocery shopping with. Start composting and have your kids go through your fridge to list as many compostable items as they can. Donate your unused items to a place in need. For this one, kids toys and hygiene items are fantastic items to help get your children to understand the importance of giving to those who are in need.

Play Chopped with your meals and reduce your food waste. Have food that’s on the verge of going bad or about to expire? Come up with a meal that can include many of these items without having to buy more food. Bonus points if your kids are able to help you come up with a meal (especially if the ingredients are too weird of a combination.)

Go grocery shopping with your kids with the environment in mind. Being an eco-friendly shopper doesn’t have to be hard. Like we talked about above, selecting cartons and reusable bags are easy swaps. Make a game out of who can find the most eco-friendly packaging for the items on your list if you want to entertain your kids at the store.

Repurpose your household items into crafts or containers for container gardensYou can start an indoor herb garden or create something super fun with your kids with these ideas. And the bulk of the materials will be things you would have recycled or tossed out so you’ll be upcycling!

Whatever you do to celebrate America Recycles Day, it’s important to remind our kids why it’s important to recycle. Did you know that the average American generates more than four pounds of trash each day?

That’s more than 200 million tons of garbage each year. Yikes! And despite the fact that 75% of our waste stream is recyclable, most of the trash ends up in a landfill. Then it releases harmful methane gas which in turn speeds up global warming. So each time your family recycles, you’re reducing landfill waste. Along with that, you’re also helping conserve our natural resources.

Considering carton recycling is available to over 62% of U.S households, there’s little reason not to recycle. Want to know if it’s available in your area? Head over to recyclecartons.com to get information for your community or check with your local program.