Milk and juice cartons can be confusing because they look like cardboard but usually contain thin plastic and sometimes aluminium layers. The good news is that many UK councils now collect them. Before putting one out, check where your council accepts cartons and whether it wants them rinsed, flattened or left whole.
Quick answer: Food and drink cartons are recyclable in many UK areas, but some councils use bring banks rather than kerbside collections. Empty, rinse and check the local route.
Why this needs the correct route
Cartons combine strong paper fibre with thin plastic and sometimes aluminium layers. Specialist mills separate those layers, so they cannot always travel through the same process as ordinary cardboard.
Important details
Leave attached plastic caps on when the collection guidance requests it; they can be separated during specialist processing.
Straws may be pushed inside an empty drinks carton where the scheme accepts them, preventing small pieces becoming litter.
Soup, pulse and chopped-tomato cartons need only a quick rinse, not an intensive wash that wastes hot water.
Laminated food pouches are flexible packaging, not cartons, and normally use a supermarket soft-plastic point.
What to do
- Finish the contents and drain the carton.
- Give food cartons a quick rinse.
- Replace the cap or push in the straw as instructed.
- Flatten only when the council asks for it.
- Use the named kerbside container or bring bank.
Cartons at home and at bring banks
A kerbside service may mix cartons with cans and plastic, whereas a bring bank can have a carton-only opening. Follow the label on the actual container: placing cardboard boxes in a carton bank, or cartons in a paper-only bank, can contaminate material collected for a different mill.
Store rinsed cartons with the cap secure so leftover drops do not leak onto paper. If a household uses many cartons but has no kerbside route, plan a periodic bring-bank trip rather than leaving them beside normal recycling.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not assume a carton belongs with cardboard solely because its outside is paper. Keep pouches, heavily contaminated packs and unrelated plastic film out of a carton bank.
A more useful alternative
Choose larger packs when they prevent several small containers, and use retailer soft-plastic collections for accepted refill or food pouches.
Continue with related advice in Recycling at Home.
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Official guidance
See Recycle Now carton guidance. Local services can change, so confirm the current instruction for your address before acting.
Sources checked: July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Should carton caps be removed?
Recycle Now advises leaving plastic tops on cartons, but the instruction printed by your local service should take priority.
Are Tetra Pak cartons recyclable?
Tetra Pak is a common carton brand. Acceptance depends on whether your council has access to specialist carton processing.