Cardboard boxes aren’t just for shipping your latest online purchase or helping you move across town—they can also enjoy a second, third, or even fourth life through recycling!
Why Recycling Cardboard Matters
First things first: recycling cardboard is a big deal. According to Statista, 93.6% of corrugated cardboard gets recycled—an impressive figure that keeps tons of material out of landfills each year.
When you recycle, you’re helping cut down on processing pollution, preserving natural resources, and reducing the need to harvest new trees. In fact, recycling cardboard can reduce processing pollution by up to 95% compared to creating brand-new packaging.
Cardboard vs. Paperboard vs. Chipboard
You might come across different terms when researching cardboard. Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Corrugated Cardboard
This is the sturdy stuff, often used for shipping and packing. You can identify it by the wavy layer (fluting) sandwiched between two flat layers. It’s incredibly strong and is the type most commonly recycled on a large scale. - Paperboard or Chipboard
These are thinner forms of cardboard used for items like cereal boxes, cake mix boxes, and beverage cartons. Over time, repeatedly recycled corrugated fibers become shorter and thinner, eventually becoming paperboard. But don’t worry—this type is still recyclable, too.
How Cardboard Recycling Works
Cardboard’s journey from your hands to its next life is more fascinating than you might think. Here’s a quick rundown of the process, inspired by top recycling facilities:
- Sorting and Storage
- You place your clean, dry cardboard into a recycling bin (or set it aside for collection).
- Recycling centers sort it, removing contaminants like plastic wrap, tape, or food residue.
- Quality Checks and Baling
- Workers inspect the cardboard to ensure it’s suitable for recycling.
- The cardboard is then compressed into large bales—think giant cubes—for easier transportation.
- Off to the Paper Mill
- Those bales head to a paper mill, where they’re loaded into machines capable of handling huge volumes. Some mills process up to 3,000 tonnes of recyclable material per day!
- Those bales head to a paper mill, where they’re loaded into machines capable of handling huge volumes. Some mills process up to 3,000 tonnes of recyclable material per day!
- Pulping
- The cardboard is mixed with warm water in a pulper, which breaks it down into fibers.
- Any leftover staples, tape, or plastic film is removed using a variety of cleaning and screening techniques.
- Paper Formation
- The clean fibers are spread out, pressed, and dried, forming large sheets of paper.
- These sheets are then rolled into massive reels, sometimes up to the weight of 12 adult elephants!
- New Cardboard Creation
- Reels of paper go to a packaging plant, where they’re crafted into fresh cardboard sheets.
- The sheets are cut, folded, and sometimes printed on, ready to be turned into brand-new boxes.
Key Do’s and Don’ts
- Do Flatten Your Boxes: Flattening not only saves space in your bin; it also makes the job easier for recycling facilities.
- Do Keep It Clean and Dry: Pizza boxes or other food-soiled containers can contaminate an entire batch of recycling. If your cardboard is wet or greasy, consider composting it (if local rules allow) or tossing it in the trash if it’s unsalvageable.
- Don’t Mix with Other Materials: Storing cardboard separately from other recyclables reduces contamination. When cardboard is mixed with things like plastic or glass, up to 20% of that collected cardboard may become unusable.
What About Composting?
You might have come across advice suggesting cardboard as a great “brown” material for composting—and that’s not incorrect. In many composting setups, shredded cardboard can provide valuable carbon. However, for large amounts of clean, intact cardboard, recycling typically offers more environmental benefits. By keeping quality fibers in the recycling loop, fewer new trees are needed to produce fresh cardboard.
That said, if your boxes are greasy or heavily stained—such as the classic pizza box scenario—composting could be a viable option. Some communities even encourage composting for lightly soiled cardboard, especially if municipal or private recycling centers won’t accept it.
Dealing with Overflowing Cardboard?
Online shopping sprees and large-scale moves can mean a mountain of boxes. If your recycling bin is packed to the brim, or local regulations limit the amount you can set out each week, consider an eco-friendly junk removal service.
Grunber, for instance, offers convenient pickups and prioritizes recycling and repurposing whenever possible—whether you’re located in a bustling city or a quieter suburb. They’ll swoop in, haul away those cardboard piles, and ensure they head to the right facilities instead of the landfill.
The Bottom Line
So, is cardboard recyclable? Absolutely. In fact, it’s one of the simplest and most impactful materials you can recycle, offering each box several “lives” before its fibers wear out. By keeping your cardboard dry, clean, and flattened, you’re actively reducing landfill waste and conserving precious resources.
Whether you’re dealing with a handful of online shipping boxes or a mountain of moving supplies, make sure to give them a fair shot at a second life. And if your cardboard collection is simply too large to tackle alone? Services like Grunber are here to lend a hand, ensuring that your cardboard finds its way to the recycling plant—helping you keep your space clutter-free and our planet a little greener.
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