Options for Recycling Cardboard Boxes

How to recycle cardboard waste: a guide for business and the home

The principles of recycling have been around for a long time both at home and in the workplace. When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products reducing the need to consume natural resources.

If you have cardboard boxes at home, either from deliveries or a house move, and you need to get rid of them, there are several ways.

Use the boxes again in the home

Firstly, you can reuse the material. Cut or tear pieces of cardboard to add carbon into your compost heap. You can also line your car boot with a sheet of cardboard to protect it from dirt and damage. Use the boxes to store shopping in your car neatly and avoid using plastic bags. Keep your cupboards and wardrobes tidy by stacking bedding, seasonal clothing or toys in boxes. Or lets the kids or the pets play with them! There are numerous ways to use second-hand cardboard boxes in the home. Have fun with it!

Recycle via the kerbside collection

Councils usually collect recyclable waste from the kerbside every two weeks, and this always includes a cardboard collection. If you can’t reuse the boxes yourself, make sure they can be recycled into something else (in the case of boxes, they are usually recycled back into boxes).

Recycle via a local HRC recycling centre (colloquially known as the ‘tip’ or ‘dump’)

If you have too much cardboard to leave outside the house for your regular collection, you can take cardboard to the tip and it will be recycled. Cardboard is one of the easiest materials to recycle!

Are you a business looking for advice?

For companies who generate large volumes of cardboard waste there are several options for disposal.

Buy a Baler and Send to a Paper Mill

A baling machine will crush your boxes down into compacted parcels of material which can be sold on to paper mills for recycling. Balers can be big and expensive to run, with significant upfront costs. There’s also maintenance costs that are sometimes overlooked, and the risk of the machines breaking down at crucial moments. We don’t recommend a baler unless all of your material is damaged or highly mixed… read on to find out why.

Hire a skip

Skip hire can be useful for smaller or more infrequent volumes of cardboard waste. The skip is then taken away and the cardboard crushed by a third party such as a waste management company. The material eventually gets recycled. You’ll usually pay for the company to dispose of your waste, so it’s not a recommended option.

The Ultimate Option: Cardboard Box Reuse

This is the ultimate disposal route. The process will generate a substantial financial return (much higher than baled waste) that is guaranteed for the long term, whereas baled rates fluctuate throughout the year and generate lower returns. It requires little or no financial investment and there are no collection charges. Onsite storage containers are provided, by Sadlers, free of hire charges subject to volume. Cardboard box reuse is one of the finest examples of recycling and reuse there is today. Rather than being sent off to be heavily processed, we sell the boxes to other businesses, extending the life of every box.

BEWARE

Whatever you do, DON’T send your cardboard to landfill! Cardboard is the most recycled material in the world, and to throw it in the bin or send it to landfill would be a travesty.

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