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Following a thorough review of additional information regarding new carton<\/a> sortation for recycling across California, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has published an update to its Senate Bill 343 Final Findings Report findings to confirm that food and beverage cartons meet the statewide sortation threshold required for recyclable labeling under the statute.<\/p>\n The June 24, 2026, update revises Table 2 of CalRecycle\u2019s SB 343 Final Findings Report to reflect that cartons are now sorted for recycling by large-volume transfer and processing facilities serving 62% of California counties. This exceeds the threshold established by SB 343 that determines whether a package can be labeled as recyclable.<\/p>\n \u201cThis update reflects the real and growing capacity of California\u2019s recycling system to recover and recycle food and beverage cartons,\u201d said Jordan Fengel, President of the Carton Council. \u201cWe are pleased that on-package labeling will continue to accurately communicate that cartons should be recycled, helping to provide sufficient material to established and emerging recycling end markets.\u201d<\/p>\n CalRecycle\u2019s updated evaluation incorporates newly verified sortation at three California material recovery facilities (MRFs):<\/p>\n Together with facilities previously identified by CalRecycle, these operations sort cartons into PSI Grade 52 bales and serve 21 California counties. The update reflects how cartons are collected, sorted and marketed throughout the recycling system.<\/p>\n \u201cThis milestone is the result of continued collaboration across the recycling value chain,\u201d Fengel said. \u201cWe appreciate the facilities that have invested with us in carton sortation, the communities that include cartons in their recycling programs, and CalRecycle\u2019s careful review of all available data.\u201d<\/p>\n SB 343 permits the use of the chasing-arrows symbol and other recyclability claims only for products and packaging that satisfy the criteria outlined in California law. CalRecycle\u2019s characterization findings provide the collection and sortation data used to evaluate materials under those requirements.<\/p>\n\n