Spring 2012                                                                                                            HOME

It Just Keeps Coming!

Cardboard Handling is a Big Issue for Most Businesses

Anytime the FedEx, UPS, or DHL truck shows up, you can bet your company ends up with more cardboard boxes to deal with. In fact, besides office paper, cardboard is the largest component of many businesses’ waste streams. Getting cardboard out of the dumpster and over to a recycler not only is good for the environment, it can also save you money.

To ensure proper recycling and to get the best prices for your corrugated cardboard, also known as OCC, follow these guidelines provided by the Corrugated Packaging Alliance:

• Separate any contaminants from the corrugated, including strapping, plastic bags, Styrofoam, packing materials or food scraps. Recyclers pay the highest price for clean corrugated.
• Businesses can earn money for their OCC by baling it.
• Remove any boxes that cannot be recycled, especially those that are contaminated by toxic or hazardous materials. If the corrugated has been treated with plastic extrusions or laminates, wax coatings, etc., it cannot be recycled (unless it is marked with either of the recyclable certification symbols shown below, which indicate the coating has been tested and proven recyclable). These symbols are applied to corrugated that has been treated for moisture protection using wax alternatives that have passed the industry's repulpability/recyclability testing protocol:

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Cardboard is readily recyclable and there are numerous options for service in our area. Check out the list of cardboard recyclers to find recyclers that provide pick-up services or allow you to drop off your cardboard at their locations. Be sure to review your current waste and recycling contract before contracting with another recycler.