| Generally there are two types of cardboard that | | | | United States are shipped in cardboard boxes. |
| are considered to be recyclable. The first is the | | | | Now multiply that worldwide and that's a lot of |
| ruffled kind used in packaging materials called | | | | cardboard to manufacture. Naturally, cardboard is |
| corrugated cardboard. The other is called | | | | made from pulp and pulp is made from trees. |
| paperboard or flat cardboard and is the kind most | | | | Since there are a limited number of trees on the |
| of us are familiar with because it is used in | | | | earth to provide us with oxygen and shade, it |
| everything from cereal boxes and frozen food | | | | makes sense to try to not use so many of them |
| containers to shipping boxes, shoe boxes and | | | | to make all of those boxes. Even more important, |
| cylinders. Depending on the rules in your area, | | | | the actual process of making cardboard is an |
| some lighter weight cardboard (paperboard) such | | | | environmentally messy one utilizing chemicals |
| as cereal and food product boxes can by sorted | | | | known to deplete ozone. When recycled |
| with your paper products. However, the thicker | | | | corrugated and flat cardboard is used, it eliminates |
| cardboard associated with storage and packing | | | | a lot of extra plastic or Styrofoam packing |
| boxes needs to be unfolded and flattened before | | | | materials that are not biodegradable and fill up the |
| it can be recycled. That way it is easier and less | | | | landfills. Finally, by reusing cardboard, the |
| expensive to transport to the recycling hubs | | | | manufacturing emissions are reduced by half. |
| because it takes up less volume when it is flat. Of | | | | That's reason enough, don't you agree? |
| course, it is important to keep your cardboard | | | | Some cardboard is not recyclable. Milk cartons are |
| away from any damp or wet areas until it is | | | | one example because they are wax coated to |
| picked up or taken to a bin. If your community | | | | prevent leakage. Any boxes that have leaked |
| does not provide cardboard recycling, you can | | | | some of their contents or gotten repeatedly |
| take the flattened boxes to your local | | | | damp cannot be recycled. The reason is that the |
| supermarket and ask them to put your stack | | | | chemicals that can be released from stains or |
| with theirs to be recycled. Almost every grocery | | | | moisture can be damaging to breathe if they are |
| store or department store participates in a | | | | stored in a compact space. Some boxes may be |
| commercial cardboard recycling program. But | | | | treated with laminates, making them not very |
| most of them will not take the lighter weight | | | | recyclable. The best is to use your common |
| cardboard or paperboard. | | | | sense and examine the heavy cardboard. If it is |
| So why is it so important to recycle cardboard? | | | | oily, stained, damp, slick or overly dyed, please do |
| Over 90% of all products shipped inside the | | | | not try and recycle it. |