Cardboard recycling made easy

Did you know cardboard can easily be recycled effectively if kept separate from general waste?

Cardboard is one of the most common types of material Spectrum customers choose to separate and recycle, as many businesses produce card from deliveries they receive as well as part of their ongoing consumption as a business.

Can cardboard be recycled?

As cardboard is made of paper (which is made of natural wood fibres), it is an ideal material to recycle. Corrugated cardboard and grey paperboard are the two most common forms of cardboard and are used for paper boxes and packaging material.

Unfortunately, only clean cardboard can be recycled. Cardboard with grease or food stains should go in your normal waste bin. Therefore, it’s important to keep cardboard waste stored is a separate bin.

What are the environmental benefits of recycling cardboard?

Recycling 1 tonne of cardboard can save up to 17 trees, reduce the demand for landfill and because cardboard recycling does not incur landfill tax, it can also save your business money.

What is the best way to store cardboard ready for collection?

Depending on the amount of cardboard waste your business produces you will either require a bin or a specialist piece of equipment called a baler. A baler compresses cardboard waste into bales which take up less room that storing numerous bins, which is often an important consideration for Spectrum customers who are based in London and space is often at a premium.

Find out more about the bins, containers and balers Spectrum can provide and book your free waste audit today.

What happens to recycled cardboard?

When cardboard arrives at a recycling centre it is first sorted and baled removing any contamination such as plastic sticky tape and string. Whilst paper can be recycled with cardboard, it is important to keep grades separate as these will go into different products after recycling.

Cardboard is first crushed into tiny pieces and mixed with water and chemicals to turn it into pulp. Recycled pulp is mixed with new pulp made from wood chips and then after filtering, chemical and centrifugal processes the cleaned pulp is dried and pressed to form long sheets which are then glued together to make new cardboard.

For a cardboard waste recycling quote for your London business please don’t hesitate to contact us.