How to recycle cardboard

To recycle cardboard you have to know when we can deposit it and where to deposit it. In addition, sometimes, before looking for the option to recycle, we can reuse it by transforming the waste into a new useful object or use it to make crafts.

What cardboard is recycled

We can recycle the cardboard of the boxes that contain products, the toilet paper, the egg cartons, etc., although it is convenient to remove all those adhesive labels that they may contain or any staples. Another thing to keep in mind when we are going to recycle cardboard is that cardboard that has traces of organic matter cannot be recycled, for example, pizza boxes that are stained with grease or oil, since this alters the recycling process, leaving the contaminated material and not usable in this way.

Therefore, it is very necessary and easy to separate the recyclable cardboard at home to take it later to the appropriate container, as well as to decide which pieces of cardboard can be reused for crafts or other uses.

What is the carton container

It is very important to know where the cardboard is recycled to facilitate the process of recovering this material and giving it more life, without wasting it. The container to recycle the cardboard is blue , so in this container the cardboard can be deposited as long as they are free of organic remains.

Learn more about What is recycled in the blue container with this other article .

The egg cartons must be placed in the blue container, but how can the egg carton be reused or recycled at home?

• For plant lovers we bring you a fantastic idea, to use egg cartons as seedbeds or germinators , because in them the seeds can germinate that will later be transplanted into a pot. Here you can learn about How to make a seedbed .
• Egg cups are also very useful for cardboard crafts , since with them we can make bird feeders or beautiful lamps for our house.
• They are perfect materials to soundproof spaces , surely you have ever seen these cardboard on the walls of a room to isolate noise, since the shape it has absorbs sound waves.

This cardboard also like the previous one, is deposited in the blue container. There are many ideas to recycle cardboard with crafts , some examples are:

• Binoculars for the little ones: we only need two rolls of paper, a little imagination to decorate them and a rope to hang them around the neck.
• Frames to place the photos: there are also ideas for fans of photography, because you can make beautiful photo frames in very different ways and then paint them to taste.
• Bowling – can be decorated with paints and then stacked for bowling with whatever ball the kids have.
• Pencil jars: you can also make jars to put pencils and pens on the desk, you just need to decorate them a little to your liking and put another piece of cardboard glued with glue or white glue as a base.

The milk cartons or cartons must be deposited in the c ontenedor yellow , as they are not only composed of cardboard, but also inside a layer containing fine aluminum. We can make different crafts with bricks, such as:

• A purse.
• A pencil case.
• A drainer for cutlery.
• Some horizontal pots or planters or to hang.
• Insulate the walls of the rooms.

In addition to all these ideas that we have been commenting on, here you can learn more Ideas for recycling cardboard tissue boxes . Among them you will see some ideas to decorate cardboard boxes or to line a cardboard box with fabric.

As mentioned above, the cardboard is deposited in the blue container, but then the whole cardboard recycling process follows :

1. It is thrown in the blue container.
2. Later this material is collected and transported to an authorized manager, such as cardboard recycling companies.
3. When the paper and cardboard waste is entered in the authorized manager, these are weighed and the date of entry, the CER code, the description, the origin and the carrier’s data are recorded.
4. Waste is stored depending on its origin in order to avoid mixing qualities.
5. It goes through an automatic or manual classification process to eliminate impurities such as plastic, glass, sand or other types of materials.
6. After sorting and impurities removed, the cardboard is shredded and cut to reduce size.
7. Then the cardboard is pressed and wrapped to be sent to the factories where the cardboard recycling process will be carried out at the recycling plant .

In these places, the cardboard goes through several processes :

1. Lamination of cardboard: chemical solvents are added to separate the paper fibers from the waste.
2. Cardboard sieve: selection to eliminate all those residues that are not cardboard.
3. Spinning and shredding: cardboard and paper waste is broken up with water until a uniform mass is obtained. Then it goes through a shredder and filters to get rid of the plastic, ink or metals that accompanied the waste.
4. Classification of the resulting material: once free of contaminating substances, the fiber generated is classified into short cellulose (newspaper) and long cellulose (cardboard or sheets)

Although only the cardboard has been mentioned, the paper is also deposited in the blue container since the process that follows is similar to that of cardboard.

Sometimes, it is necessary to ask what is the importance of recycling cardboard in order to be aware of the benefits of this act that begins in our house. Among the benefits of cardboard recycling we find that, for example, when recycling a ton of cardboard:

• 50,000 liters of water are saved.
• 140 liters of oil are saved.
• 900 kilos of CO2 are no longer emitted.
• More space is left in the landfill to be occupied by other waste that cannot be recycled.

Therefore, it is better to recycle cardboard than to produce it from raw materials. If you want to learn more about Why recycling cardboard and paper is important, enter here.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to recycle cardboard , we recommend that you enter our Recycling and waste management category .