Cardboard is one of the most highly used materials in the commercial world with nearly 100 billion boxes produced each year. From commercial use to everyday packaged goods, cardboard is a massively used product. With only 75% of boxes recycled each year, it may leave you questioning where all these boxes go?
How Is Cardboard Made?
The process of creating cardboard is more complex than you think. Cardboard is made entirely out of recycled paper. The recycled paper is split up into one wavy sheet of paper called a flute which sits between two flat sheets called liners. They form a corrugated board. A machine then adheres two liners to hold the box together and strengthen the board. While the process may sound simple, it takes a mass amount of paper to create cardboard. EPA estimates that 17 trees can give you 2577 cardboard boxes.
So how does this amount affect the packing industry? To give you some perspective, Amazon ships approximately 1.6 million packages a day. While not every package uses cardboard, this gives you an idea of how much cardboard could potentially be used. With so many trees grown to produce paper to ultimately be transformed to cardboard, it may leave you wondering how you can go green and reuse boxes.
Cardboard Box Recycling
Cardboard is a large waste product often forgotten about. The best way to reduce cardboard waste is by putting the product to good use. Some examples include:
• Storage – Cardboard boxes make for great storage bins. Use them to store unused items or keep your home organized.
• Gardening – Cardboard is the king of preventing weeds. By laying cardboard and soaking the material underneath your plants, you can reduce the amount of weeds that will grow cutting your gardening time in half.
• Crafting – When in doubt, give a box to your kids. They will love to hide in and color the cardboard saving you money on toys and allowing your family to go green.
As a last resort, flattening and recycling your unused cardboard is always a good idea. If you find that you are a company with a surplus of used boxes, you can always sell them! While you may not think your misprinted or gently used boxes would go to good use, Leader Box Corp, will buy your obsolete boxes and give them a second life.
Who is Leader Box?
We are a green company whose goal is to ensure others that they will benefit from buying used boxes and will help the environment in doing so. Businesses that buy from us and sell to us are supporting our green initiative by reusing boxes and saving trees! We believe that sustainability is key, and buying used boxes will definitely emphasize your company’s commitment to being environmentally friendly! If you are looking for used boxes for sale, Gaylord boxes near me or packaging supplies in Chicago, request a quote from us today to help lead your company’s green initiative.