Information on Recycling Cardboard Boxes

In today's world, "going green" is a way to help save the planet. One of the ways to accomplish that is to recycle cardboard boxes. According to Cardboardrecycling.org, "For every 1 ton of cardboard that we recycle we can save 9 cubic yards of landfill space." However, cardboard boxes must be recycled properly and not all boxes can be recycled. Therefore, knowing information on recycling cardboard boxes is imperative before deciding whether to recycle or throw away the boxes.
  1. Types

    • There are two types of cardboard boxes. The first type is paperboard, which consists of lightweight cardboard. The majority of food in boxes purchased at the supermarket comes packaged in paperboard. The other type is corrugated cardboard, which has two thin outer layers with a thick wavy inner layer to make it strong. The main use of corrugated cardboard is for making shipping boxes.

    Identification

    • So many things come in cardboard boxes, like packages in the mail, food such as cereal and pasta, even delivered pizza. It can sometimes be confusing as to what cardboard boxes can be recycled and which ones cannot. All corrugated cardboard boxes can be recycled as long as they have not gotten wet. Dry paperboard, such as what cereal comes in, can actually be recycled with paper since it is so thin. However, paperboard boxes that go in the refrigerator or freezer should not be recycled because of the wax coating on them. Throw wax-coated boxes in the trash.

    Location

    • Most cities have recycling stations where you can bring your recyclable cardboard boxes. Dumpster companies also have dumpsters that are strictly for cardboard to be recycled. In some cities, your trash company may provide an extra container to put your recyclables in for pick up once a week.

    Techniques

    • Flattening and unfolding all cardboard boxes saves space in both the transporting vehicle and the recycling center. Grouping the paperboard and the corrugated cardboard boxes separately will speed up the recycling process.

      Another way of recycling corrugated cardboard boxes is to reuse them when shipping items. Corrugated cardboard is strong and, therefore, when kept dry, can withstand many shipments.

      Businesses get many corrugated cardboard boxes. It is more practical for them to put their cardboard boxes into a baler and then sell them to recycling centers.

    Benefits

    • According to Corrugated.theresponsiblepackage.org, "Corrugated is the single most recycled packaging material: 80.7 percent of corrugated produced in 2008 was recovered for recycling, and almost all of that material was recycled into new products."

      Recycling cardboard boxes saves our natural resources such as trees. Recycling also keeps our landfills from becoming full with reusable materials.

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