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About the Milk Jug

Thanks to the special material milk jugs are made of, they’re easy to recycle for consumers, more desirable for recyclers, and can be recycled into a variety of applications.

Made of HDPE

Milk jugs are made of a very lightweight and sturdy material called high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

What It’s Recycled Into

Milk jugs are recycled into a wide range of items, such as toys, outdoor furniture, and even back into more milk jugs.

Very Recyclable

Natural HDPE plastic is a very versatile material making it easy to recycle. And it’s recycled almost everywhere.

Why Recyclers Like It

Milk jugs are highly desirable by recyclers because of the high demand for HDPE plastic.

The number of times HDPE can be recycled.

3oz

It takes less than 3 oz. of HDPE plastic to hold a gallon of milk.

29%

Currently, according to the EPA, fewer than 3 in 10 milk jugs get recycled.

“When you recycle milk jugs at home, there is infrastructure in place for companies like Envision to buy those milk jugs so we can recycle them into clean plastic that can be used again.”

Roberto Fontanillas, Envision Plastics

“HDPE plastic in general is good, because you can use it over and over with little degradation. Instead of consuming more plastic, Altium is recycling the same plastic up to seven times.”

Micheal Rodriguez, Altium

“It's important to recycle the jugs so these plastics get a second life and don't end up in a landfill.”

Casey Vaccarezza, Cal-Waste Recovery Systems

“By recycling plastic milk jugs, you’re reducing the use of virgin plastics, saving energy, water, and other resources, creating jobs, and saving money”

Tim Dewey-Mattia, Napa Recycling & Waste Services

“You may not think one little bottle will make a difference, but if you count your neighborhood and then the next neighborhood, block, and community – it adds up to a lot of plastic to keep out of our landfills.”

Navid Rezaei, Epic Plastics

“Not all plastic is created equal. Your HDPE plastic milk jug is a low carbon footprint way to deliver milk to your family. And it can be recycled back into milk jugs over and over again right here in California, substantially reducing the need to produce more plastic.”

Mark Murray, Californians Against Waste

While rinsing out your milk jug before recycling it is the gold standard, it’s not required. There’s such a high demand for #2 plastic (HDPE) that recycling centers would much rather have it unrinsed than not at all.

In 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that 29.3% of #2 plastic (HDPE) bottles and jars get recycled. And with your help, that number can continue to go up.