Are there any states that require cardboard recycling? The key question to ask is: Are there oil stains on the box? If the answer is yes, you either want to throw away the whole box or remove the stained parts. While every recycling program is different, pizza boxes are a frequent source of contamination in all of them. What’s the deal with pizza box recycling? Paper mills also don’t want to pay for wet paper because it’s heavier with the extra water weight. Why can’t wet cardboard be recycled?Įven though the paper recycling process introduces water, when you get paper wet and it dries, it manipulates the fibers (as a result, it feels stiffer). These are two different grades of paper with different commodity values, even though you might call both cardboard. Paperboard is thinner and less durable, used for cereal boxes. The corrugated piece is the extra layer of fiber that zig-zags between the brown sheets, making it tougher to tear and sturdier for shipping. The term “cardboard” is used for most boxes, but shipping boxes are officially known as corrugated cardboard. What’s the difference between corrugated cardboard and paperboard? These materials get filtered out during the recycling process, as does ink. Do I need to remove tape and labels from the box? Just remember to flatten the boxes and remove any plastic materials inside. Most curbside recycling programs accept cardboard boxes since they are a high-commodity material. Recycling 1 ton of cardboard eliminates 9 cubic yards of landfill spaceįind Recycling Guides for Other Materialsįrequent Cardboard Recycling Questions Can I recycle cardboard boxes in my curbside recycling program? Making 1 ton of virgin cardboard requires 3 tons of trees Over half of the cardboard collected is used to make new cardboard boxes, and additional cardboard can be downcycled into paperboard (used for cereal boxes) or chipboard (used for shoeboxes) Food-soiled paper doesn’t have a recycling market.įind a drop-off location for cardboard near you using our Recycling Locator. Wet cardboard doesn’t have a recycling market.įor boxes that are food-soiled (such as pizza boxes), cut out any oil stains before recycling. Some programs also allow you to set large boxes next to the cart, but don’t put them out if it’s raining. You don’t need to remove the tape, but most recyclers prefer that boxes are flattened to save space.įor boxes that contained huge items, you may need to fold or cut the flattened box in half for it to fit in your recycling cart. Use a knife or scissors to cut any tape used to seal the top and/or bottom of the box, then collapse the box. Check out our recycling guides for these materials to learn how to recycle them. Since most cardboard is used for shipping, you’ll want to remove any shipping materials such as packing peanuts, plastic bags and bubble wrap. This also helps explain why it has the highest recycling rate of paper products: 92.9 percent in 2015. Corrugated cardboard is the highest value grade of paper, as its durability means long paper fibers.
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