Recycling Cardboard
Last year Cambridgeshire and Peterborough recycled and composted over 1,627 tonnes of cardboard. Not bad, but we know that 2.5 % of our rubbish was cardboard last year so this means we still sent 9,650 tonnes of cardboard to landfill- what a waste!
Cardboard facts
- When paper and cardboard starts to decompose in landfill it gives off methane gas, a big contributing factor to climate change. It is best for the environment to recycle cardboard if you can. If you live in East Cambridgeshire you cannot put cardboard in your recycling box, but you can put it out for composting collection with your brown sack
- Paper and cardboard cannot be recycled together and so are often collected separately. If your council collects them together it means they will be separated at a later stage
- Cardboard and paper fibres get shorter each time they are recycled. Cardboard can be recycled four or five times before the quality degrades and it has to be used for something else such as animal bedding
- Cardboard is also excellent to home compost if mixed in with garden and food waste. Just tear and scrunch it up and mix in
How can I recycle or compost cardboard?
This varies depending in where you live, visit your local recycling scheme to find out what services are available.
What happens to my cardboard?
Recycling
- As with paper, it will be taken to a mill to be sorted and cleaned
- It will then be pulped with water. Pulping help to separate out the fibres to reform the cardboard
- The pulp is pressed into sheets and dried and sold to manufactures to make new products
Composting
- Cardboard is good in the composting process as it helps to balance out all the “green” material such as grass and hedge cuttings and adds air
- If your cardboard is taken for composting it will go to a local composting contractor. It will be shredded up and mixed in with your garden and kitchen waste to make new compost
What types of Cardboard can I recycle and compost?
A) Most types of cardboard are suitable including brown (loo rolls and boxes) and coloured card (food packaging).
Can I recycle waxy juice cartons (Tetrapaks)?
A) This is a difficult product to recycle as it is made from layers of different materials. For this reason not all local authorities collect this material. Visit your local recycling scheme to find out what services are available.
I have lots of cardboard that won’t fit into my kerbside bin or box- what should I do?
A) If you want to dispose of it quickly the best thing to do is to take it your local recycling centre. If this is not possible, you may wish to break it down and include it in your recycling or composting collection in smaller pieces.
