Carton recycling now available for 86% of U.S. households

The Carton Council has shared an update on continued growth of carton recycling access across the United States. In 2025, nearly 2.5 million additional households gained the ability to recycle food and beverage cartons, a figure that represents approximately 1.5 percent of all American households:

• Household growth in 2025 (net): 2,464,653
• 2025 year-end access: 63 percent
• Recycling programs that include cartons (by household): 86 percent

Carton recycling access is tracked through an independent third-party that measures whether households have a local recycling program that includes cartons. Today, 63 percent of U.S. households have access to carton recycling programs, up from 18 percent in 2009 when the Carton Council was founded. Residents can transparently view recycling access using the Carton Council's address locator tool.

The Recycling Partnership has indicated that approximately 73 percent of U.S. households have access to recycling services. The Carton Council's data indicates cartons are accepted in the vast majority of programs (86 percent by household), demonstrating broad compatibility with existing collection systems.

"Real-world recycling begins with household access," said Jordan Fengel, executive director of the Carton Council. "Before a material can be sorted and recycled, residents must be able to place cartons in the recovery stream. This growth reflects direct collaboration with communities, recyclers, and policymakers to strengthen the recycling system."

Diverse community partnerships drive 2025 growth

Because many regions already offer recycling services, recent progress increasingly comes from targeted improvements that are aligned with local capacity and existing infrastructure.

Several 2025 additions illustrate this range of approaches:

Austin, Texas

An expanded MRF partnership added carton access for approximately 500,000 households and created a foundation for future expansion into nearby communities.

Marion County, Florida

Targeted outreach supported the implementation of county-wide drop-off recycling, bringing access to about 127,000 households.

Robeson County, North Carolina

Updated program guidance provides roughly 35,000 households with county-wide drop-off recycling. 

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Coordination with municipal staff established city-wide drop-off access for approximately 16,000 households.

Titusville, Florida

A curbside recycling program update added cartons to accepted materials for about 21,000 households.

Oregon - statewide

With packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) now active in Oregon, better aligned collection lists led to 627,000 households gaining access to carton recycling (38 percent increase).

Access remains the entry point that enables the rest of the system to function. The 2025 increase reflects continued coordinated growth across collection programs, sorting facilities, and recyclers, demonstrating steady, measurable improvement in real-world recycling infrastructure.

"At this stage, progress happens one program at a time," said Jason Pelz, vice president of Recycling at the Carton Council. "We're working directly with local governments and material recovery facilities to update accepted material lists, optimize sortation, and ensure cartons enter recycling streams. Each community addition strengthens supply for established and emerging recycling end markets."