Juice and Food Pouches: Not Recyclable in Your Bin

Aug 23, 2021 | Recycling Explained

If you live in Sioux Falls or the surrounding area, juice and food pouches do not belong in your recycling bin. These popular single-use containers—like Capri Sun pouches or baby food squeeze packs—may seem recyclable, but they’re made of multiple materials that can’t be separated by recycling equipment.

Why Pouches Can’t Be Recycled

Pouches are made with layers of materials such as:

  • Aluminum foil
  • Polyethylene (plastic)
  • Polyester
  • Mylar
  • Paperboard
  • Plus spouts, zippers, and caps made of mixed plastics

These materials are laminated together to make the pouch lightweight, durable, and shelf-stable—but this fusion makes them nearly impossible to separate and recycle using standard equipment at local facilities like ours.

Why Are Pouches So Common?

Manufacturers prefer pouches because they:

  • Are lightweight (reducing shipping emissions)
  • Can be filled quickly in production
  • Take up less space than bottles or cartons
  • Extend shelf life without refrigeration

While these are upstream benefits, the downstream impact is a major problem. Once used, the pouch goes straight to the landfill. And because it can’t be recycled, making new ones requires a continuous input of energy, water, and raw materials.

In the U.S., over 80 billion pouches are thrown away each year.

Can They Be Recycled Anywhere?

Only about 2% of pouches are recycled nationwide, and that’s mostly through mail-in programs like TerraCycle. These programs let individuals or schools collect pouches and ship them for recycling—but they aren’t free. Boxes can cost $100–$300, and the process is only possible through sponsorships from brands trying to reduce their environmental footprint.

Even TerraCycle’s process—grinding the pouches down into pellets and turning them into products like tote bags—requires external funding. In 2020, participating brands paid $10.5 million to support these efforts.

What’s the Solution?

Real change will require effort from everyone across the supply chain:

  • Manufacturers need to design packaging that can actually be recycled
  • Retailers need to stock smarter options
  • Consumers need to avoid single-use pouches and choose reusable, recyclable, or compostable alternatives when available

If we all work together, we can push for packaging that doesn’t create permanent waste.

Bottom Line for Sioux Falls Recyclers:

Please do not put juice or food pouches in your curbside or drop-off recycling bin. They are not accepted by local processors—including Millennium Recycling—and will have to be sorted out as trash.

If you’re committed to recycling these items, visit Terracycle’s website to learn more about their mail-in options.

Let’s all do our part to keep problem items out of the bin and focus on what can be recycled in our community.