Reasons to Choose Products In Carton Containers

Moving to the mountains has really helped out family in many ways, including becoming more eco-conscious. We tried to do our part before, but living here is much different and forces a different way of living. We no longer have a trash service, which is actually a really great thing because it forced us to evaluate the kinds of things we purchase and how much waste we create each day.

Buying more items that are recyclable or reusable has definitely contributed to less waste and has also saved us money since we pay per $3 a bag to dump trash! We try to use items that are recyclable, but I have to admit I don't always purchase foods based on their containers. I went on a fridge hunt to see what containers were there and found out many things, including the fact that I really need to clean it out!

As you can see, it is full of just about everything and the kids have done a number on it, for sure! We have a variety of containers, many of which are recyclable or reusable, such as the glass containers. I sometimes freeze items and save them in glass jars, can my vegetables and we also save leftovers for another meal, which is why there are our own containers in there, many of which are made of recycled plastics. I see a few cartons there, but not nearly enough! The ones I see are the almond milk, soy milk and aseptic soy milk I use for baking.

The more I read about paper cartons, I realize we need to purchase more items with carton containers. Why? Because they are so eco-friendly! There are so many different items that come in cartons, including orange juice, milk, soy milk, sometimes packs of tomatoes, and much, much more!

Here are some interesting facts about paper cartons and why we should all use them more often:

• Over 41 million households have access to carton recycling, and that number is on the rise. In addition, cartons are made from renewable materials – more than 70 percent of the carton is made from paper, all from trees from responsibly managed forests.
• Packaging plays a very important role in keeping food and beverages fresh. The environmental impact of a package is just as important as the contents inside. 
• Cartons are recyclable where facilities exist. The paper fiber contained in cartons is valuable. Recycled cartons are used to make products such as tissue, office paper, wall boards and other building materials.  To learn if your community accepts cartons for recycling, please visit www.recyclecartons.com or check with your local recycling program.
• Cartons are made with renewable energy. More than 50 percent of the energy used to make the paper in Evergreen Packaging’s cartons comes from biomass.
• Responsible forestry promotes new forest growth, and these forests help to diminish greenhouse gases. Forests remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in trees. In the US, due to both increases in the total area of forest land and increases in the carbon stored per acre, an additional 192 million metric tons of carbon are sequestered each year through responsible forest management programs nationwide. This offsets roughly 11% of the country’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of removing almost 135 million passenger vehicles from the nation’s highways.

Since we already recycle, I know that our area does accept cartons and yours probably does, too. If they don't, save them for arts & crafts projects with the kids! There are some cute ideas on the Evergreen website. If you do make a craft with cartons, you can submit a picture to be featured on the website, too! I also didn't know that cartons help protect the food from UV light that can decrease the nutritional value or that 70% of the paper used for cardboard cartons is from a renewable resource! There are so many reasons to use cartons that I just never knew before. See how much you know about cartons by taking the quiz on the website. I'll definitely pay more attention to the types of containers I purchase from now on. Will you?

Do your part to give back!

Please share the story about paper cartons and why others should use them. Why? To raise money for Habitat for Humanity! Evergreen Packaging will donate a whopping $15,000 when 1,500 combined tweets and Facebook posts using the hashtag #choosecartons have been made. Go to the website and click on some tweets there are make your own! It's simple and for a wonderful cause.

Don't forget to follow Evergreen Packaging on Facebook & Twitter to stay on top of all paper carton related news!


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.