Switching from plastic bottles to cardboard cartons for juices, milk and such?

I remember a long time ago when I was in Europe (90's?) almost all of their fruit juices and other similar drinks (maybe even MILK!!) all came in cardboard boxes, possibly foil/mylar lined with a screw cap or snap lid. I just used 32oz's of chicken broth that came in a box and I thought it would work just fine for juices and it is basically what they had in Europe a long time ago. I've seen some "nut milks" in similar containers and there are some milks that come in cardboard but the vast majority are in plastic.

I would think that switching to containers like this for things that aren't pressure sensitive (non-carbonated liquids) would drastically reduce the amount of plastic that is used and needs to be recycled. The boxes would probably be fine for incineration and composting and may even be able to be recycled, though IDK if those would be worth it.

It seems that this category might be one of the biggest consumers of single use plastic and I don't see the downsides of using cardboard containers instead. They also use space more economically than plastic containers both in the fridge and shipping. IDK if there is a major downside to these boxes either in use, storage or disposal - if anyone knows if there is a specific reason I'd be interested in hearing this.

Would you have any problems with having containers such as this instead of plastic?

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Sure now they do it after half of all plastic are in the ocean killing Flipper. They should have known plastic was a bad idea long ago but it was just to convenient.

I wouldn't have any problem switching from plastics, it will be weird at first I guess but until they figure out how to reuse plastics there is no other choice.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Where are you at that you can only get milk in plastic containers? I'm in the US and we buy those cardboard milk quarts every week. We rarely buy juice, but when we do, we buy it in the cardboard half gallons. There are just as many juices and milks in cardboard as in plastic, to choose from at the store.

I remember when most things came in glass or even cardboard for stuff like milk cartons. I even remember when a lot of roads were cement instead of asphault. Chemical companies are messing up our environment. This new world that is being created is poisoning the environment way worse than it did fifty years ago.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

These "TetraPaks" as they're known, that your chicken broth would have come in, or the shelf stable nut/rice milks, juice packs, etc., are actually less recyclable than a plastic jug (if they're properly being recycled by the consumer, and then the recycler).

The cardboard containers that perishables like milk and juice come in are the best choice, but they're only good for perishable liquids. Still, if they aren't properly recycled, they end up in the landfill/incinerators/ocean.

American logging would increase, for paper. Petroleum would be saved used to make plastic, X 350 million people.....

originally posted by: Atsbhct
a reply to: DigginFoTroof

These "TetraPaks" as they're known, that your chicken broth would have come in, or the shelf stable nut/rice milks, juice packs, etc., are actually less recyclable than a plastic jug (if they're properly being recycled by the consumer, and then the recycler).

The cardboard containers that perishables like milk and juice come in are the best choice, but they're only good for perishable liquids. Still, if they aren't properly recycled, they end up in the landfill/incinerators/ocean.

Yes, the tetrapak!

I think there is a problem in society that people think that everything needs to be recycled for some reason and that burning or burying is the worst thing ever. This is absolutely ridiculous. There is no reason that a cardboard milk container needs to be recycled if it can be burnt for energy and last choice, buried where it will decompose. I doubt that the there would be any energy savings from recycling the cardboard when you factor in labor/transport (the actual PROCESS people seem to overlook like recycling is done by a magical unseen beast). There is PLENTY of land to log for these products and a better option would be managed timber farming (Europe's been doing this a LONG time).

Incineration has a very good track record in many European countries and some import MASSIVE amounts of trash (plain municipal waste picked up curb side in town/city) and is used as a primary source of energy as well as heat generation (local steam in cities I think) instead of burning coal, natural gas, etc.

I'd like to know how the landfills are run as well as incinerators, who owns them, who profits, and what companies are "associated" with them (partners, subsidaries, parent companies). There are incinerators that are basically identical where one is making a nice profit while another is in MASSIVE debt (and they are in basically the same market - just owned/operated by different companies) and these types of issues need to be addressed b/c some very viable options are being made to look non-profitable and uneconomic when run correctly they aren't and when run correctly they are pretty clean and can reduce reliance on landfills, coal, NG, oil.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I believe it's trademarked as Tetrapack, for the amount of layers that go into the cardboard / foil / plastic mix.

They are still heavily used in Ontario Canada for juices, wine, broth like you said, that sort of thing. Apparently they are very recyclable too.

My guess for whyba manufacturer would chose plastic instead would be to show the contents off better. Really nice orange juice, beautiful rose wine. I don't know.

originally posted by: Ameilia
a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Where are you at that you can only get milk in plastic containers? I'm in the US and we buy those cardboard milk quarts every week. We rarely buy juice, but when we do, we buy it in the cardboard half gallons. There are just as many juices and milks in cardboard as in plastic, to choose from at the store.

I have a family of five and we get go through two gallons of milk a week. Our stores (Meijer, Wal-Mart, and a small local chain) only carry plastic one gallon jugs. I don't think I've ever seen a one gallon jug of milk in anything other than plastic.

Both gallon and half gallon are plastic in indiana.

But as a cool piece of knowledge, I was in canada a few years ago and their milk was in plastic bags....

Kinda cool..

a reply to: DigginFoTroof
Bring back glass I say!
Everything taste better in a glass bottle.

a reply to: Bluntone22
I have heard of this bag milk but never laid eyes on it.

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof


I remember a long time ago when I was in Europe (90's?) almost all of their fruit juices and other similar drinks (maybe even MILK!!) all came in cardboard boxes, possibly foil/mylar lined with a screw cap or snap lid.

It's true - even the finest milk in the world comes in a cardboard box - exhibit a);



The cartons can't be recycled though, as they're coated with a wax film. Instead, they go into the normal black bin bags to be sent to the energy from waste plant.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I think we should avoid plastic packaging as much as possible. Not only because of it's dangerous chemical make-up but it doesn't decompose like paper based packaging. I often wonder how much longer we can continue to use landfills until we run out of space and start contaminating our planet to the point where we're slowly killing off life on planet earth.

It's my opinion, but switching from paper grocery bags to plastic increased it's damaging affect on land and in our oceans.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

I'd be all for it!

originally posted by: jtrenthacker

originally posted by: Ameilia
a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Where are you at that you can only get milk in plastic containers? I'm in the US and we buy those cardboard milk quarts every week. We rarely buy juice, but when we do, we buy it in the cardboard half gallons. There are just as many juices and milks in cardboard as in plastic, to choose from at the store.

I have a family of five and we get go through two gallons of milk a week. Our stores (Meijer, Wal-Mart, and a small local chain) only carry plastic one gallon jugs. I don't think I've ever seen a one gallon jug of milk in anything other than plastic.

Ahh, I'm a family of two and we never buy the gallon size because it is too much for us. The most I'd buy is half-gallon. Of course you are correct, I have never seen gallons in paper, either.