Burlington Review

Burlington County has introduced a new program for residents to recycle plastic beer, soda, and seltzer carriers. The initiative, led by the Burlington County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling in collaboration with Oregon-based plastic carrier manufacturer PakTech and two local breweries, aims to create drop-off locations for used drink carriers.

Starting this month, residents can bring their used drink carriers to the Burlington County Resource Recovery Complex located at 22000 Burlington-Columbus Road in Florence. Additional drop-off points include Farm Truck Brewing in Medford and Zed’s Beer in Evesham, both of which use PakTech carriers and participate in the company’s recycling program.

“Burlington County residents are very environmentally-conscious and have helped us earn one of the best recycling records in the state,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson. “Collecting plastic drink carriers might seem small but it is another way for us to keep common plastic items out of our landfill. It helps protect our environment and promotes recycling and sustainability.”

PakTech carriers are made from 100% recycled plastics and are widely used by breweries as well as major drink and food brands like Kirkland, Kraft/Heinz, Colgate-Palmolive, Pepsi, and Ocean Spray. These carriers are replacing older plastic ring holders that pose threats to wildlife if littered.

While PakTech carriers are recyclable, they cannot be processed through Burlington County’s single-stream recycling program. Unlike aluminum cans, these carriers should not be placed in curbside recycling bins.

Carriers dropped off at the County Recovery Center will be processed alongside other plastics. Farm Truck Brewing will deliver returned carriers to the county for recycling purposes. Zed’s Beer washes and reuses most returned carriers while delivering damaged ones to the county for recycling.

The county hopes more local breweries and municipalities will join the program to provide additional drop-off locations for residents.

“We want to encourage more local breweries to host drop offs and we’re also looking to do special collections at upcoming paper shredding days and other County events,” said Commissioner Tom Pullion, liaison to the Department of Solid Waste and Recycling. “The more drop-off locations and options we can offer, the easier it will be for residents to participate and recycle right. It’s an easy way for people to help protect our environment and it’s a proven tax saver because it reduces landfill waste and fees towns pay for trash disposal.”

Burlington County was among the first counties in New Jersey to establish a regional recycling program. It remains one of the few that collects from all its towns without charging municipalities or residents for the service.

Last year, nearly 82 million pounds of recyclables were collected from Burlington County’s 40 towns, saving those municipalities approximately $3.9 million in landfill fees.