A Sonoco Guide to Recycling Consumer Packaging Properly

Curbside recycling of paper, plastic and metal can be tricky. Consumers want to do their part for the environment, but they can be confused about what can and cannot be recycled in their local municipality.

At Sonoco, we believe that people build businesses by doing the right thing. To support this commitment, we’re doing our part to help brands and consumers work together to increase recycling rates and properly recycle common packaging items with a guide for three packaging materials:

• Paper recycling. 
• Plastic recycling. 
• Metal recycling. 

Paper Recycling 

Recycling paper products may not be straightforward for consumers. They may put items in their recycling bin in hopes they can be recycled—what some call ‘wishcycling.’ But recycling improperly can be more problematic than not recycling at all.  

According to the American Forest & Paper Association®, these paper and cardboard items are recyclable at paper mills across the U.S. when clean and dry: 

• Office paper. 
• Paper packaging for toiletry products. 
• Notebooks, magazines, letters, etc. 
• Cardboard food containers like pizza boxes, cereal boxes, etc. 
• Paper packaging for food items. 

At Sonoco, we’re actively working to increase recycling rates with our EnviroCan®, a rigid paper container with steel or paper ends designed by Sonoco to package nuts, coffee, refrigerated dough and other snack products with a lower weight and a reduced environmental footprint compared to other packaging options.

Working with AMP™ Robotics, we supported the development of a new sortation device that’s trained to recognize paper containers with steel ends and accurately sort them into the appropriate recycling streams. We also successfully validated the acceptance of rigid paper containers for paper recycling in a coordinated study with Sustana Fiber®. 

Plastic Recycling

Recycling plastic packaging may seem difficult at first glance, but, with a little guidance, brands and consumers can be successful. According to How2Recycle®, flexible polyethylene (PE)-based plastics like these are eligible for drop-off at participating stores when clean and dry:

• Grocery bags. 
• Produce bags. 
• Bread bags. 
• Cereal bags. 
• Plastic pouches.

We’re dedicated to simplifying plastics recycling with our EnviroFlex® PE and Paper flexible packaging that’s commonly used for cookies, crackers, snacks, pet treats, personal care items and more. By gaining pre-qualification for ‘store drop-off/plastic’ with How2Recycle labeling, we help brands exceed their sustainability goals and meet product specifications with a variety of pouch and rollstock options. 

Metal Recycling  

Commonly used to package fruits, vegetables, beans, pet food and more—two- and three-piece steel cans are infinitely recyclable. Using magnets, material recovery facilities (MRFs) can easily sort steel cans and continue to use this material to produce new metal packaging.  

According to the Canned Good Coalition, follow these tips to properly recycle steel food cans: 

1. Rinse out empty metal packaging. 
2. Leave on the can top. 
3. Toss in your recycling bin.

Aerosol cans that package cooking sprays, spray paint, disinfectant spray and other products can often be recycled as well. Once emptied, aerosol cans without plastic caps may be recycled at a local drop-off location or recycled curbside depending on the municipality.  

For more guidance about recycling packages in your area, check locally for guidance. 

Doing the right thing is at the core of Sonoco. With an in-house team of sustainability experts, we’re doing our part to help brands create sustainable packaging solutions that consumers can easily recycle in their local communities.