Sep. 25--MANATEE -- Waste Management Inc. announced that residents of Manatee County now can recycle juice and milk cartons through curbside pickup programs as part of Waste Management's national initiative with Tropicana to increase the number of these cartons recycled. This recycling program includes juice, milk, soy, broth and other beverage cartons, which can be placed in the bins with glass, plastic and aluminum bottles and cans.

After collecting cartons in curbside pickup programs, Waste Management separates them from the other recyclables and sends them to secondary mills for recycling. Juice and milk cartons, like those used by Tropicana, are recycled through a process called hydropulping, which recovers the paper fibers. The fibers are then recycled into tissue, paper towels and other paper products.

Tropicana's cartons are largely made from a renewable resource (85 percent paper and 15 percent polymer). The paper board used in Tropicana's cartons recently received certification from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (www.sfiprogram.org) under its fiber-sourcing certification program. Sustainable Forestry Initiative participants practice responsible forestry on the lands they manage, and influence millions of additional acres in North America and globally through certified procurement programs. These programs include measures to acquire wood from known legal sources, to keep waters clean and fresh and to conserve biological diversity.

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