Cardboard has become one of the best packaging materials because of its ability to be recycled. There are many other reasons to use it for packaging manufacturing. Do you know why this material is recyclable and why recyclable materials are important? The first thing that you should understand is the problem that packaging waste has created for humans. Never forget that packaging waste has led to the spread of various diseases, spoiled environmental beauty, and a lot more. In this scenario, the world has to find something that is safe and easier to handle. Following is a detailed discussion of how cardboard is recyclable, the methods to recycle it, and the benefits of recycling it.

What is cardboard recycling?

Don’t you know about cardboard recycling? Many large and small businesses recycle cardboard to save money and energy. This is the reuse or reprocessing of thick sheets of corrugated box material that have been used or discarded. You must know that cardboard is the best material that comes in the form of thick, durable sheets. Hence, instead of throwing cardboard waste that may lead to the generation of big piles of waste, recycling is a good option. Here, we will see how this is good for us.

Types of cardboard

There are two types of cardboard, and they can have different applications. Here we will see details about these types of cardboard.

• Corrugated cardboard

Thicker cardboard that comes with an extra sheet of wavy fibre in between the two layers is corrugated cardboard. It becomes more durable and sturdy due to this extra layer. Its strength makes it the best option for shipping different items and storing them safely. Corrugated cardboard is recyclable, and different businesses recycle around 81% of this material.

• Paper board or chipboard?

After recycling corrugated cardboard, it becomes thinner. When it passes through many recycling processes, it becomes thinner, and this material is paperboard or chipboard. This material is only important for making cereal boxes, cake boxes, or other packaging solutions where more sturdiness is not a requirement.

Benefits of recycling cardboard

Before discussing the process of recycling, you must know why recycling is important and how it can benefit humans, businesses, and the environment.

• saves landfill space.

Do you know about the procedure for handling enormous quantities of waste around the world? All cities have to develop landfill sites where they dump this waste and try to get rid of it. There are various issues that arise due to this process. It consumes a lot of space that doesn’t remain useful for other purposes. Hence, one of the best things about recycling cardboard is the safety of the landfill space.

• Promotion of the use of renewable materials

When you recycle different materials, they become renewable. When you continue using different materials that are not renewable, they will end after a certain time. Therefore, you have to find renewable solutions so that there can be no end to anything. Due to the arrival of processes for material recycling, people have started using renewable materials. Hence, recycling cardboard can promote the use of renewable materials.

• Conserve environment

Do you know the impact of plastics and other materials on the environment? Never forget that packaging waste has created various environmental problems. They also led to different health issues in humans. Moreover, there is a negative impact of packaging waste on the beauty of cities. Therefore, recycling cardboard can help conserve the environment.

• saves energy, water, and trees.

You may know that handling enormous quantities of cardboard packaging waste requires a lot of energy. Moreover, new cardboard is manufactured from trees, which leads to the cutting of trees. Hence, recycling cardboard will help in saving energy, trees, and water.

• Jobs creation

Do you know how cardboard recycling can create jobs? It is not a big deal to understand this, as when there will be recycling plants, they will need manpower. They will need men to operate machines and complete different jobs during the process of cardboard recycling. Hence, it leads to job creation.

The process of recycling

You may have understood why the process of recycling is necessary and how it helps save the environment. Following is a complete description of the recycling process.

• Collection

The first step in the process of recycling is the collection of waste cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes are sturdier and resistant to different damages. Therefore, many brands use them again and again for different purposes. However, after disposal, small recycling businesses collect waste cardboard boxes and transport them to the recycling unit.

• Sorting

When waste cardboard reaches the recycling unit, the first step is sorting. Do you know what is done in this step? In this step, the recycling unit workers sort them according to their manufacturing materials. Moreover, they separate them into different groups, such as corrugated cardboard and chipboard. This is necessary because the recycling process is different for different types of cardboard.

• Shredding and pulping

After sorting, the next step is shredding. During this step, you should shred the cardboard boxes so that you can proceed to the next step of pulping. During pulping, small pieces are mixed with chemicals and water. It helps break down the paper to form a slurry substance. It is pulp, and this pulp is then mixed with the new pulp.

• Filtering and de-ink

After that, the pulp material passes through a filtering unit where all the foreign substances are removed. This process also removes other impurities such as strings, glue, and others. This process is followed by de-inks, which take away dyes and inks. Another name for this process is cleaning.