Thinking Green: Paper Cartons

Packaging can play a huge role in the environmental impact of what you buy. It goes without saying that you should buy products with as little packaging as possible, and look for recycled or recyclable packaging. But it's also important to consider the impacts of how a packaging type is produced.

I went through my fridge to look at the types of packaging it contained. We had a huge variety - plastic and glass bottles, hard-to-recycle #5 (we take ours to a local co-op), egg cartons, and paperboard cartons. A few years ago, we couldn't recycle the paper cartons, but our local recycling center now accepts them as curbside recycling - and many other places do, so I encourage you to check with your trash/recycling hauler or Recycle Cartons to find out. The paper cartons are recycled into tissue, office paper, and wall boards and other building materials.

Evergreen Packaging, a major manufacturer of paper cartons, not only promotes recycling, but also fuels its paper production with over half biomass, a renewable energy source. They are also produced using responsible forestry, which promotes new growth to replace what has been used, with a net carbon offset of 11%, or the equivalent of 135 million cars.

So don't avoid paper cartons just because you don't think they're as eco-friendly as other options! For more information, visit Choose Cartons or follow @ChooseCartons or visit ChooseCartons on Facebook.

“I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Evergreen and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”