Recycling paperboard has made the biggest impact in how much “trash” gets thrown away in our household. Since removing paperboard from our trash to the recycle pile, our weekly trash volume was cut by 40%. Weekly, we would place 2.5 bags of “trash” out for our curbside trash pickup for transport to the landfill. Now, after being conscious of paperboard as a recycle-able material, we now place 1.5 bags of trash per week. This is a huge savings in volume capacity to the landfills.

What is Paperboard? Can Paperboard be Recycled?
Paperboard, a cousin to cardboard, and also known as box board and container board is really, thicker paper. At some places you’ll find that paperboard may be combined with shredded paper due to the ‘lower grade’ or length of the paper threads. The trick in recycling paperboard is to evaluate the type you have – normal paperboard, shiny paperboard (most product packaging), a food to-go or take away paperboard box (though if heavily soiled can contaminate the other paper in the recycling process; through biodegrading of the food remnants). You’ll need to evaluate the paperboard and condition of the paperboard at the point of separation for recycling.

Overlooked Items as Recyclable Paperboard
Throwing out trash is one of those habits that is rote or something that is done without much thought to it. Think of the behavior and thought process of the situation: “I have something that I no longer need or is empty – I must throw it away”.

Therefore our trash would build up with paperboard recycling items such as:

toilet paper rolls
paper towel rolls
gift wrapping paper rolls
soap boxes
cereal boxes
frozen food boxes
most packaged food boxes from a grocery store
ice cream boxes
food “to-go” boxes or take away boxes

the list could go on….

Paperboard (and cardboard) account for the largest amount, in volume, of the materials that I take to our recycling center. It really makes one stop and think about one’s own consumption of materials when you stare at your stored recycling materials that need to go to the center. I look at the other piles of recyclable materials in addition to paperboard such as glass, containers, plastics and paper and think, “wow, that’s a lot of space that isn’t taken up in a landfill.” To me, it is quite a sobering thought.

Please check with your curbside recycling provider or local recycling center as to the exact types and condition of paperboard they will accept to recycle.

Please use the comments section below to bring up any other points I may have neglected to mention in this post. Happy Recycling!

Recycling Paperboard is a post from: RecycleAllYear.com
Click to tell me about your recycling efforts.

I’m always puzzled at whether or not food items that come in cartons, specifically juice or milk cartons, can be recycled.

I know that cardboard and paperboard can be recycled, but cartons seem to be a hybrid of the two, sometimes glossy, sometimes thicker than traditional paperboard. Do any of those qualities disqualify the carton from being recycled?

In an average kitchen, at least once per year (if not weekly) one can expect to find one of or many of these- a juice carton, milk carton, stock or broth carton, soup carton, juice boxes, etc. – that provide convenient storage and access to desired items. If you shop at a big-box retailer (ie. Costco or Sam’s Wholesale Club, etc.) you can expect to get boxes or sets of these cartons that you will ultimately need to dispose of. Multiply those cartons by all the cartons at schools, businesses, restaurants, convenience stores… and you can quickly imagine the staggering volume of cartons that may not be recycled. The cartons themselves seem (to me) to fall into a paperboard category, though they often have a plastic nozzle or capping mechanism. So, can I recycle cartons and if so, how do I recycle cartons? Do I need to cut out the plastic nozzle or mouth of the carton and place in my weekly curbside recycling pickup box or deliver to my area recycling facility and let them, literally, sort it out later.

The Answer – Yes! You can. Sort of.
My research led me to the ThinkGreen.com blog of the waste disposal company, Waste Management.

It turns out, depending on where you live and what waste disposal service or recycling service you use; it’s as easy as what I mentioned above. Toss it in with your curbside pickup or the appropriate receptacle at your recycling center. If you have to separate materials for your scheduled pickup or local/regional recycling facility, it goes in with the plastic and aluminum can section. So check with your recycling service or center.

One of the other things I learned from the ThinkGreen.com blog on carton recycling, in addition to the above, is that (what I’ll describe as) “carton recycling uncertainty” by the consumer is an increasing concern. The blog states that Waste Management has partnered with Tropicana and the Carton Council for the need to elevate the awareness of carton recycling by working with all parties involved in bringing container items to market. Collectively they are bringing suppliers, manufacturers, marketing departments and branding agencies (specifically those that focus on package design) together to make container recycling more apparent to the consumer; who ultimately decides on the final resting place of the empty containers. Recycling bin or trash bin?

To me, it would seem an ideal location to place any recycling messaging on along the bottom border of any vertical side and on the bottom of the container. I find that when I’m at the end of a container of liquid, the container is upside down and a prime area to place a ‘This is Recycleable’ message that I would see.

Now, any time I empty out an orange juice carton, soup carton or milk carton I’ll know for certain the carton can be recycled. On that note, that’s one more item I will recycle more of. You should to.

Let me know your thoughts on carton recycling in the comments below. Does your waste removal service or local/regional recycling facility accept or educate you on carton recycling?

Carton Recycling is a post from: RecycleAllYear.com
Click to tell me about your recycling efforts.