Our ecosystem is precious, and we all can do our part to pitch in. But the greatest good can be done when we work together and pool our efforts and best ideas. Here’s what Mountain High is doing and how you can pitch in!

The Move to Foil Lids

Years ago, we replaced plastic lids on all our 6-ounce cups of yoghurt with foil lids. Now all our Classic Lowfat flavors are sealed with a coated foil lid. You get the same fresh, wholesome product inside our cups, because our foil lids are durable and food safe. But the big beneficiary is the environment: This small change alone helped us eliminate 11 tons of plastic each year!

That also means three other benefits for the environment:

1. We’re using tons fewer raw materials (and the resources to extract them) to produce plastic lids.
2. Since foil lids are lighter and compact, less gas, packaging, and freight space are required to ship them, creating less pollution.
3. Best of all, you can recycle our new foil lids. Please do so and add to your efforts to helping the environment!

You Can Also Reuse and Recycle Mountain High Yoghurt Containers!
Most Mountain High Yoghurt containers are made of Polypropylene #5, which is recyclable in facilities that take all types of plastics. We use #5 plastic for a few reasons:

1. It ultimately uses fewer resources than other plastics because it can maintain its structural integrity even with thin walls.
2. Containers made with #5 plastic can be 30% lighter, so every year we use 60 tons less plastic for our packaging.
3. Polypropylene #5 is less polluting because it is manufactured without chlorine. Chlorine releases hazardous dioxins during manufacture and incineration.

Polypropylene #5 is also highly reusable, so we encourage you to find other uses for these handy tubs before you recycle them, or especially if your local recycle facility doesn’t accept them.* Here are just a few ways our customers have told us they re-use our 32-ounce tubs and 6-ounce cups:

• Store leftovers in the refrigerator
• Store craft items (buttons, sequins, craft foam, paint brushes, beading tools)
• Store sewing notions (fabric paints, embroidery floss, spools of thread)
• Store odds and ends for home improvement projects
• Store rags and sponges
• Plant seedlings
• Freeze ice blocks for coolers
• Make sand castles
• Hold small amounts of paint for touch-ups, trim, and smaller paint projects
• Rinse out paint brushes when doing arts and crafts
• Hold pens, pencils, markers and paper clips for the desk or craft table

*Ask your local recycling facility if they accept #5 or if they can recommend a near-by facility that does.

You Can Reuse #2 Plastic Before You Recycle It, Too!

Mountain High Yoghurt's 64-oz. tub is made of #2 plastic because it is a much larger cup holding a greater weight. It needs to be made of thicker plastic to maintain its structural integrity. Additionally, because the plastic lids of our 32-ounce and 64-ounce yoghurt tubs need to be more stretchable, they are also made of #2 plastic.

While virtually all recycling centers accept #2 plastic, the reality is that wide-mouth containers made of #2 plastic, such as our 64-oz. yoghurt tubs, are often pulled back out of the recycling stream because they have a different melting point than narrow-mouth #2 containers. That is why we recommend you reuse your 64-oz. containers as much and as long as possible, to maximize their lifespan and usefulness. Here are just a few ways our customers have told us they re-use our #2 plastic 64-ounce tubs, and 64-ounce and 32-ounce lids.

Tubs:

• Dog dishes
• Craft projects
• Storage (see above list)
• Home improvement chores
• Storage for steel wool, craft sand, plaster, grout mixes, and other materials that need to be protected from excess moisture

Lids:

• Coasters under potted plants
• Craft items for children (weaving wheels, animals)
• Paint palettes for mixing colors
• Holders for beads and findings when making jewelry

Other Great Ideas

If you can’t reuse your tubs, please consider donating them to a local day care center or elementary school—art teachers love our tubs for projects! Or maybe your local pet shelter or kennel could use them as bowls. Share the resources! (Hint: We work with the Denver Children’s Museum, the Denver Zoo, and local day care centers to make sure all our outdated or old cups are re-used.)

How Do You Use Your Mountain High Yoghurt Tubs and Lids?

Contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  and we’ll feature the best ideas in a future issue of our newsletter!

For more information on both #5 and #2 plastics, please see the truth behind recycling a yoghurt cup. And please reuse and recycle as much plastic as you can!