The world has never needed recycling more than it does today. The good news is that many of the cardboard boxes that you use to ship everyday items can be recycled. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an estimated 92 percent of all corrugated cardboard is recycled. However, knowing when and how to recycle cardboard is crucial if you want to reduce carbon emissions and create a smaller environmental footprint.
What Types of Cardboard Can Be Recycled?
There are two common types of cardboard that are used to store and ship a wide range of items. Corrugated cardboard is often made from recycled materials and is typically used in packing boxes to create durable, high quality, and lightweight shipping solutions. It can easily be identified by its wavy interior layer. Paperboard is another type of cardboard that can be recycled. It is most often used in cereal, shoe, and other types of small boxes. These two types of cardboard are more likely to be recycled than other types of paper products.
When Should You Recycle Cardboard?
Before you simply toss your boxes into the recycling bin, you need to make sure that you follow a few key steps.
- Double check that your recycling center accepts all types of cardboard.
- Flatten the boxes to meet collection or deposit requirements.
- Ensure that the cardboard has not been contaminated by greasy foods.
- Remove any packaging, including labels and tape.
By following the above steps, you can lower your environmental footprint, ensure that your boxes don’t end up in the overcrowded landfills, and quickly discover the benefits of recycling boxes on a weekly basis.
What Are the Benefits of Recycling and Reusing Cardboard?
If you can’t recycle your cardboard boxes, then you should consider reusing them. The most environmentally friendly and durable corrugated boxes can often be reused to store household or office items, as collection bins for donation items, or even as modified trash cans. You can even use the cardboard in your home compost pile as a defense against garden slugs or as mulch to help keep those pesky weeds at bay.
Discover the Environmental Benefits of Express Packaging Corrugated Boxes
Express Packaging proudly offers environmentally friendly corrugated boxes. In addition to using recycled materials to create our durable and environmentally sustainable shipping solutions, we take the time to recycle 98 percent of our boxes. Discover the environmental benefits of choosing from our standard or customized corrugated boxes that are strong, lightweight, durable, and most importantly Earth-friendly. Contact an Express Packaging team member today to place an order or learn more about our corrugated boxes.
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