Understanding Cardboard Recycling

Every year, billions of tons of cardboard are produced worldwide for various purposes such as packaging and transportation of goods. Over time, the unused cardboard turns into solid waste, adding to our planet’s waste problem which has escalated to dangerous levels. However, the concept of ‘cardboard recycling’ provides a sustainable solution that serves two purposes: to reduce the amount of waste deposition and to reutilize resources and create new products.

Cardboard recycling, just like paper recycling, begins with collection. Cardboard can be sourced from post-industrial waste and post-consumer waste. Post-industrial waste refers to the offcuts and waste produced from manufacturing plants that create cardboard. Post-consumer waste, on the other hand, refers to the cardboard that has served its purpose in packaging and transportation and is no longer required by the consumer.

How Cardboard Recycling Works?

Cardboard recycling is a multistep process that begins with collection. Waste cardboard is collected from a collage of resources including homes, offices, restaurants, departmental stores, and industrial sites. After a considerable amount of cardboard waste is collected, it is transported to a processing plant.

At the processing plant, the waste cardboard undergoes a series of steps to convert it into reusable material. It is sorted based on the type of cardboard: corrugated cardboard or boxboard. Then, it is compacted into large bales for easy transport. The baled cardboard is soaked in a mixture of water and chemicals, a process called “pulping”, which breaks the cardboard down into small fibres. Impurities such as glues, staples, and tapes are removed, and the remaining paper fibres are then dried, and formed into new cardboard sheets.

Cardboard recycling has several benefits, both economically and environmentally. It reduces the pressure on our landfills, reduces pollution caused by manufacturing new cardboard, and saves our natural resources since less virgin material is required in the manufacturing process.

Best Solid Waste Management

Recycling has long been touted as one of the best solid waste management strategies, and cardboard recycling is no exception. By reducing the accumulation of cardboard waste in our landfills through recycling, we can effectively manage our solid waste problems. It not only lessens our dependence on landfill space but also reduces the greenhouse gas emissions related to the breakdown of cardboard in landfills.

Moreover, smart waste management isn’t only about reduction, but also about resource recovery. Cardboard recycling exemplifies resource recovery by turning what was once considered waste into a valuable resource. This recycled material can then fuel the production of new cardboard, thereby closing the recycling loop and promoting a circular economy.

The Future of Cardboard Recycling

While cardboard recycling already makes a big difference in managing our solid waste, innovations and advancements in recycling technologies provide an optimistic outlook for the future. As recycling technologies improve, so does our ability to recycle more and waste less.

In conclusion, cardboard recycling plays an essential role in solid waste management. By recycling, we are doing our bit in reducing landfill waste, conserving our natural resources, managing our solid waste, and helping our environment sustainably. The lesson here is clear: let us end the cycle of waste, and start the cycle of reusing and recycling.