Cardboard Recycling: What You Need to Know

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Recycling cardboard can significantly reduce waste and help the environment. Corrugated cardboard and cardboard can be recycled, but pizza boxes and wet cardboard should not be. Recycling cardboard saves energy and reduces emissions, and it can also be creatively reused.

Recycling cardboard is a very simple and effective way to help the environment and reduce waste. There are a few things you should know about recycling cardboard, along with some tips to make the process easier. Along with all other recyclable items like plastic, glass, and aluminum, you should make cardboard a part of your weekly or monthly recycling plan.

There are two types of cardboard that can be recycled: corrugated cardboard, from which most packaging materials are made, and cardboard. Cardboard is not really cardboard and is a lower quality paper usually found in cereal boxes, shoe boxes and tissue boxes. Cardboard is often made from recycled corrugated cardboard. Corrugated cardboard has three layers: a piece of corrugated or corrugated cardboard sandwiched between two pieces of flat cardboard.

Recycling cardboard can make a big difference. Over 90% of packages shipped to the US are shipped using cardboard boxes. According to the recycling website Earth911, “Recycled cardboard requires only 75% of the energy required to make new cardboard and reduces the emission of sulfur dioxide produced during the production of pulp from trees. Recycling one ton of cardboard saves nine cubic feet of landfill space and 46 gallons of oil.”

Cardboard is inherently becoming more environmentally friendly, as it can be processed with non-toxic inks and does not need to be bleached. Paperboard is made from by-products of the lumber industry, such as sawdust and wood chips. Cardboard is regularly recycled: approximately 70% of all corrugated cardboard produced is recycled and made into new cardboard or cardboard.

There are some types of cardboard that shouldn’t be recycled. These include pizza boxes, due to grease, or wet cardboard, which quickly molds and cannot be used. Any cardboard with grease or oil stains should not be recycled. When preparing your cardboard recycling, be sure to empty the boxes of any plastic or foam peanuts. Most recycling centers require cardboard recycling to be flattened or compacted and placed in a paper bag or tied with string. Research the requirements of your recycling center; some cartons can be sent together with the paper for recycling, while others must be kept separate.

If you’re not sure where to recycle your cardboard, search engines available online can give you information after you submit your postcode. You can also think of creative ways to reuse any cardboard, such as using cardboard boxes to repackage and ship items, or for use in the garden. Kids can also use the cardboard for art projects. It’s important to do your part to reduce waste and landfill pollution, and recycling cardboard is an easy way to make a big difference.




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