The Carton Council of North America has announced that 60 percent of households in the U.S. are able to recycle food and beverage cartons through local recycling programs. This recent milestone is especially important because according to the Federal Trade Commission green guidelines, food and beverage cartons can now rock the standard “Please Recycle” logo.

“This is an important milestone that could not have been achieved without the hard work and collaboration among our public and private partners," said Jason Pelz, vice president of recycling projects for the Carton Council of North America, in a statement. “We share this celebration with everyone who helped to make carton recycling unequivocally mainstream.”

Prior to the formation of the Carton Council in 2009, only 18 percent of households were able to recycle their food and beverage cartons. Now, just eight years later, 60 percent of households can take part in recycling their cartons.

“This is a win for all interested in recycling,” said Nina Goodrich, director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, in a statement. “We have been happy to work with the Carton Council and recognize the efforts behind this achievement. Increasing the materials that can be recycled in this country helps the environment and contributes to the circular economy.”

In addition to this milestone, the Carton Council is launching a new website and national digital education campaign next month to help encourage consumers to recycle their cartons.

“It is now more important than ever to make sure consumers know that cartons can and should be recycled,” said Derric Brown, vice president of sustainability for the Carton Council of North America, in a press release. “Companies and brands with carton packaging are encouraged to use the recycling logo. Research the Carton Council conducted reveals that the packaging is overwhelmingly the first place people go to check its recyclability. Additionally, more than two-thirds of consumers say they would assume a package is not recyclable if it did not have a recycling symbol or language on it.”