More than one million households had cartons added to their recycling programs in the first quarter of 2014, the Carton Council of North America reported.
The Vernon Hills, Ill.-based carton council said in a news release the latest additions brought the total number of U.S. households with access to carton recycling to almost 57 million.
“This tremendous momentum we are seeing is indicative of the growing demand and need for carton recycling across the entire country,” said Jason Pelz, vice president of recycling projects for the Carton Council and vice president, environment, Tetra Pak North America.
The council cited several achievements that helped the United States increase carton recycling by one million homes this year. South Dakota became the 46th state to offer carton recycling. New York and Ohio had the largest household gains, with New York adding access for 180,000 households for 72 percent total access, while Ohio added 174,000 households and increased access to 63 percent.
The Carton Council anticipates reaching 55 percent household access to carton recycling across the country this year.