What Happens Next to Cartons

After you recycle a carton, it can become a wide variety of products that you use on a daily basis.

New paper products

Cartons are comprised mostly of paper, so naturally most of the recycled material is paper-based. After the paper is separated from the aluminum and plastic, it is processed into a variety of paper products such as paper towels, tissues, office paper or molded paper products.

Building materials

Cartons are mostly made from paper; but they also contain aluminum and plastic. After the plastic is separated, it can be extruded into a high-density plastic mold and used for building materials or plastic shipping crates.

Secondary markets

Although there is only a small amount of aluminum in cartons, it can still be sold into secondary aluminum markets to be reused.

Waste-to-Energy

Instead of selling it to secondary markets, some paper mills will use the excess aluminum and plastic to generate energy at the facility.