First off, once again if you haven't checked out Earth 911 yet, you should. They have an amazing search function where you can search for what you want to recycle and, based on where you live, they will let you know if there are resources in your area to do so. However, in this instance, it didn't yield any results for me here in Minnesota.
Egg cartons, as we all know, tend to come in two forms: styrofoam and cardboard.
I searched for information on recycling styrofoam cartons and did learn that Publix grocery stores do recycle the #6 Polystyrene (styrofoam) egg cartons (as well as their other styrofoam containers) in their stores. More information on their great initiatives can be found here. We don't have the Publix chain up here in Minnesota, so that didn't get me much closer to an answer.
Generally speaking, polystyrene recycling is still one of those categories that is not widely recycled.
What about cardboard? Why can't you recycle them? Cardboard egg cartons are generally considered to be non-recyclable. This, similar to pizza boxes, is due to the risk of contamination from food products.
If you compost, cardboard egg cartons can be torn up and thrown into your compost. If you compost through your neighborhood services, check with them before doing this as some accept it and some do not.
So while there isn't a great "you can recycle this" solution for this one, there are lots of great ways people can reuse them instead.
Here are some ideas:
1. Often schools and daycares will use them for single-use art projects of paint trays.
2. Use them for an art project on their own. My kids have made them into caterpillars before. There are some really cute ideas here for those of you far more crafty than me.
3. It's spring time. You can use them to start your seedlings in before transplanting them outdoors. However, they tend to try out quickly. So, an even better approach is to keep the egg shell halves and place those back in the carton. Then, plant your seedlings inside the shell, inside the carton. You can plant the shells directly in the ground and they will compost.
4. In the fall you can also use them to store your flower bulbs. An easy way to separate them and stack them.
5. I have heard of people using them to help keep your jewelry or small Christmas ornaments separate.
6. You can use them to sort and store small nails, screws, caps, bolts, etc.
7. They can also be great for storing small toys (think Polly Pockets, which, thankfully I have none of in my home) or Legos. Which I do.
8. They also make great storage solutions for game pieces when the boxes are getting mangled.
9. Put half a carton in your junk drawer of your kid's drawer and use it to hold lose change.
10. Your turn...what creative uses do you have for old egg cartons?
And what else does it drive you nuts that you can't recycle?
