Can I treat milk and juice cartons like normal cardboard for compost?

I am an avid 'composter' and do try to compost everything I possibly can. However I am a bit wary of milk and juice cartons as I read somewhere that because they are waxed or worst has a thin plastic layer on them, they take a very long time to compost down.  Apparently soy milk cartons are worst as the have a silver inner lining. Shredding them is an option but alas I do not have a shredder. Because of this I put these cartons at the bottom of the pile and hope the will slowly compost down eventually, maybe after a year.  What do other allotmenteers do with milk/juice and soy cartons?

The tetra packs have a plastic film on the inside so are no good for composting.  They can be recycled in some places though.

We are asked not to put them in our recycling waste

Many thanks for all the replies! I will just recycle remainder and future cartons. Does seem such a 'waste'.

Why not cut one up and add it to the compost bin.......You never know.

Because you'll be left with lots of bits of shredded plastic in your compost.

I found a very good article on the subject here http://www.ecocycle.org/microplasticsincompost/faqs

I think you will find that it will disappear.  The proper term is Bio-Degrade.

Quite apart from toxin concerns, the question is also - in what timescale?  Probably by the time you want to use the compost you will still be finding annoying little filmy shreds everywhere.  Someone told me she tried the "bio-degradable" compost caddy liners, and they didn't go by the time she wanted to use the compost.

We used to have a special recycling skip for them in the co-op car park, but now they are definitely on the list of things to go in the recycling wheelie bin.