Can cardboard be recycled with paper?
No. Cardboard is collected separately and sent to a UK recycler to be used in the manufacture of recycled cardboard products.
Why can’t milk cartons be recycled?
Imagine filling a cardboard box with water and then picking it up. The water would soak through.
A milk carton isn’t just made of cardboard - it contains plastic. Some other cartons can also contain a metal foil liner.
We don’t currently collect drink cartons for recycling. They would have to be sent for specialist recycling in Europe. Also, the machinery does not yet recover all of the component parts, which means that some material would still be incinerated.