Sustainable Ideas...
Recycling Apr 11, 2008
The Benefits of Recycling Cardboard
Why You Shouldn't Just Throw It Away
So as you probably know, cardboard, like all other types of paper products, is recyclable. At the same time, though, you’re probably saying to yourself, but cardboard is just so cumbersome to dispose of! Can’t I just put it in the dumpster behind my building and be done with it? The answer, my friends, is no, you cannot. Despite the fact that cardboard often comes in large, box-shaped forms that are not the most conveniently recycled refuse you’re likely to encounter, it’s still just as important to recycle it as it is anything else. That said, the following is a list of the benefits of recycling cardboard, in the hopes that you’ll think twice the next time you’re contemplating leaving your cardboard boxes on the curb in the middle of the night.
Economic Benefits: Since cardboard is bulky and takes up a lot of dumpster space, businesses and apartment complexes that generate large volumes of cardboard may rack up costly disposal fees for the extra volume the cardboard refuse creates. Recycling will not only eliminate those fees, it’ll also potentially generate a profit for businesses able to sell large amounts of collected cardboard.
Social Benefits: Corrugated cardboard boxes can be donated to charities for resuse, or to schools for creative/educational purposes.
Environmental Benefits: Recycling cardboard (like any other type of paper) reduces the demand for new paper from virgin pulp, thereby saving trees and decreasing the amount of pollution generated in new paper production. Finally, because cardboard is such bulky waste, recycling it saves significant amounts of space in landfills and reduces pollution in areas where trash is incinerated.
Want to find out more about recycling?
Recycling Tips: Did You Know You Cannot Recycle Messy Pizza Boxes?
The Benefits of Recycling: Let’s Talk Trash
Recycling the Looking Glass: When Garbage and Art Collide
Picking Up Garbage TVs and Recycling as Art
Students Recycle and Reduce Garbage: Take It Or Leave It
Knight Rider Recycled—Reborn With Green Twist!
Recycling Your Garbage: Where Does it All Go?
