News

One Million Items Collected! Taco Bell® Sauce Container U.S. Recycling Program

Published: April 8, 2026

Taco Bell blog

For years, Taco Bell’s iconic hot sauce packets have been part of fans’ biggest and boldest moments, from elevating everyday meals to inspiring fashion statements and even unforgettable marriage proposals. But while these packets deliver big flavor, they’re made from single-use flexible film materials that can be difficult to recycle through traditional curbside systems.

In 2021, Taco Bell and TerraCycle® teamed up to pilot a first-of-its-kind national recycling program for used sauce packets, aiming to help keep hard-to-recycle packets out of landfills. In five years, TerraCycle® and Taco Bell have proudly collected one million sauce packets and single-serve containers through the Taco Bell Sauce Container US Recycling Program to be repurposed or recycled.

“I’m so excited and proud of us reaching the one million mark! It’s such a huge number and such an accomplishment. It’s so impactful to see how much our passion for sustainability is shared by others outside of our team just from seeing the engagement and participation numbers grow every year.” said Grace K., Nutrition and Sustainability Analyst and Taco Bell lead for the US Recycling Program with TerraCycle.

Whether it’s sauce packets, sauce dipping cups, souffle cups and lids, or even coffee creamer pods, this program accepts all brands and types of empty sauce containers, not just Taco Bell’s. It’s open to anyone across the contiguous U.S.

ICYMI: How The Program Works:

Participation is simple, free, and rewarding:

1. Sign up for the program through TerraCycle. Pro tip: use the same email address as your Taco Bell Rewards account to be eligible for bonus Taco Bell Rewards points throughout the year! More details here.
2. Collect your empty sauce packets and other accepted single-serve containers in any box you have on hand.
3. Print a free shipping label by logging in to the TerraCycle portal.
4. Ship your full box to TerraCycle — they’ll rinse, sort, process, and recycle the materials into raw recycled material.

Thank you to our fans and communities for helping collect more than one million items. What a milestone!

Learn about TerraCycle and the program here. Enrollment limits may apply. This program is only available in the U.S.