Taco Bell’s sauce container recycling programme reaches one million milestone

TerraCycle and Taco Bell report that more than one million sauce packets and other single-serve containers have been collected through the 'Taco Bell Sauce Container US Recycling Program' over the past five years.

The initiative was launched in 2021 as a nationwide pilot scheme designed to divert used sauce packets from landfill. Taco Bell’s sauce sachets are typically made from flexible film materials, which are often difficult to process through conventional kerbside recycling systems.

The programme, developed in partnership with TerraCycle, accepts empty sauce containers from any brand, not solely those produced by Taco Bell. Eligible items include sauce packets, dipping cups, soufflé cups and lids, as well as coffee creamer pods.

Participation is open to individuals across the contiguous United States. Interested participants can register through TerraCycle’s platform, while Taco Bell Rewards members may also qualify for promotional rewards points during the year when using the same registered email address.

Once registered, participants can collect empty sauce packets and other accepted single-serve containers in a box and print a prepaid shipping label through the TerraCycle portal. The collected materials are then sent to TerraCycle’s facilities, where the containers are rinsed, sorted and processed before being recycled into secondary raw materials.

The partners say the programme is intended to help address the recycling challenges associated with flexible film packaging and other small single-use foodservice containers.