We are thrilled to host this year's Annual Conference in Georgetown, June 11-13. Before and after the conference, make sure to appreciate the culture, history and natural beauty this historic town has to offer! Boasting the "Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas," this city is one of few cities running on 100% renewable energy - it's the pe...

One of my favorite pastimes is birding. I took up the hobby shortly after moving to Austin, when I learned about all the migratory birds that pass through Central Texas. In particular, I love to see the colorful warblers that can be found in the spring and fall. I also try to take one international birding trip a year and this year I chose to visit...

Are the teachers in your town craving new STEM lessons? Do you need to spruce the same old activities your affiliate leads at booth events? Then it might be time to check out Waste in Place (WIP). What is WIP? Developed by Keep America Beautiful, WIP is curriculum that addresses the problem of waste – you guessed it! – in its proper place. It ...

Earth Day 2018 is on Sunday April 22nd ​this year!  Here at KTB, we've been celebrating  all week long and even asked our social media followers to join us in pledging to #KeepTXBeautiful.  Earth Day and the entire month of April is dedicated to  Mother Earth and keeping her clean and pollution free . We offer a number of ways t...

Keep Texas Beautiful works hard to encourage our Texas youth to get involved in clean-ups and be conscious of the environment. We applaud the great work done by school-aged Texans and continue to inspire them to be eco-friendly and care for the environment. One of the ways we do this is through our youth program, Scout Pack . Bu...

  Sunday, March 20 , 2018 marked the first Global Recycling Day , which was celebrated across the world, with communities holding events and educating residents on why it's important to not only recycle – but to recycle properly. GRD brings to light several crucial industry conversations occurring lately on contamination (i.e. having things th...

​March 20 marks the first official day of spring! Along with the beautiful weather, comes the age old tradition of  ​spring cleaning ​. Spring cleaning can apply to many aspects of your life and serves as a great excuse to get motivated and organized.  Here at KTB, s pring is also when most of our community cleanups are held. We...

This past month, the City of Austin's Office of Sustainability recognized Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) as a Gold level  Green Business Leader for our efforts in keeping our office green and sustainable. This is a special acknowledgement for us because it illustrates that our vision of making Texas the cleanest, most beautiful...

Over the past century, trillions of dollars have been spent to develop a sophisticated global infrastructure around petroleum. Gasoline service stations are now so common in the industrialized world that people often forget conventional cars have a limited range. Today, the same type of infrastructure is being built around electric vehicle (EV) cha...

Take a moment to imagine your favorite place. Imagine the place where you go to think, clear your mind, explore, relax or find pure bliss. Is it your grandmother's living room with that old shag carpet? Is it the neighborhood park you grew up playing cops and robbers in? Perhaps it's a sandy beach or a snow-covered mountain? Wherever it might be, i...

Happy Thanksgiving! We've been highlighting and thanking different contributors to Keep Texas Beautiful these past few days (in case you missed them, check them out here, here, and here), but it's important to remember and be thankful for how every component of Keep Texas Beautiful and our network fit together. We here at KTB are thankful for each ...

Leaves on the ground and Black Friday "sneak peek" ads can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is just around the corner! For 2017, Waste Management is challenging Texans to make Thanksgiving a green holiday this year. Here are a few ways to reduce, reuse and recycle this Thanksgiving: Buy and eat locally grown food: Buying only locally grown food is...

Many struggle to know what to do in the weeks and months post-disaster. After the immediate shock of an event like a natural disaster, many quickly learn it takes endurance and patience to continue the rebuilding process when the initial media attention has died down. Myrriah Gossett, Director of Community Engagement at Keep Austin Beautiful h...

First day of school pictures are starting to flood social media feeds, and before we know it, we'll be trading the stifling Texas heat for some cooler fall weather and the much-needed back-to-school routine. For recyclers across Texas and beyond, the start of school also means that one of our favorite holidays, America Recycles Day , is right aroun...

Everyone knows that now is the perfect time to kick back, relax and enjoy that sweet, sweet summer time. That means spending the majority of the time hanging out in the great outdoors soaking up some vitamin D and enjoying all the natural beauty Texas has to offer. And while we might be on vacation, there are still plenty of ways to help your commu...

Carton recycling continues to gain momentum in Texas. With recycling programs across the state adding cartons, there are several common questions that are raised. Read about a few of the most common myths and realities about cartons.

Myth: Cartons have a "wax" coating.
Reality: Food and beverage cartons do not contain any wax. Cartons are made mainly from paper in the form of paperboard. What you think of as "wax" on a carton is actually a thin layer of polyethylene (plastic). Recycling program guidelines that say "wax" or waxy coated cartons are incorrect. Instead use this language - "food and beverage cartons such as milk, juice, soup, creamer, and broth."

Myth: Cartons should be flattened and if it has a cap, the cap needs to be removed.
Reality: Cartons should be placed in the recycling container in their original form - not flattened and the caps can be left on. This is the best to ensure they are recycled to obtain their truest value.

Myth: A carton is not recyclable if a recycling logo is not on the packaging.
Reality: Whether or not you see an actual recycling symbol on a carton you buy, they ARE recyclable. The aseptic and gable top cartons found in grocery stores today are all recyclable. However, not all Americans can recycle them in their communities just yet. The Carton Council is working hard to change that, and today more than half of American households CAN recycle cartons they consume.

Myth: The material that comes from cartons when they are recycled is not valuable. They aren't really turned into anything else.
Reality: Cartons are a valuable source of material, representing some of the cleanest and best long fiber currently in the residential recycling stream. Paper mills use this fiber to make paper products such as tissue, paper towel, etc. In addition, some companies use the material from cartons to produce sustainable building materials such as wall board and ceiling tiles.

Myth: You can't recycle cartons in most U.S. communities.
Reality: In recent years, food and beverage carton recycling has been added to thousands of residential recycling programs, and today, more than half of America households can recycle cartons. This includes communities in 48 states and 77 of the top 100 U.S. cities. And that number is growing every day, thanks to strong collaboration between the Carton Council, local governments, and recycling facilities. Here in Texas, 47% of the households across the state can recycle cartons.

For more information about cartons and carton recycling, please contact Carton Council via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our websites - www.recyclecartons.com for general information, and www.cartonopportunities.org for in-depth information about adding cartons to your program.