Are you planning to recycle waste cardboard? Are you ready to find out whether or not wet cardboard can be recycled? If so, this article will show how to recycle wet cardboard and what materials will be acceptable.
In addition to complying with disposal regulations, recycling wet cardboard is good for the environment. So, let’s begin.
Can You Recycle Wet Cardboard?
Contents
It is impossible , therefore, for wet cardboard to be recycled.
To separate and sort paper from wet cardboard by hand is extremely costly and time consuming.
Wet cardboard jams the sorting machine, and this costs the recycling plant a lot of money.
A startling aspect is that clogging the sorting machine does not cost the recycling plant anything, because the plant is already paid in advance by its customers.
A little piece of moist cardboard may turn thousands of pounds of cardboard into garbage.
Furthermore, if the sorting machine is not working, the recycling plant may stop recycling wet cardboard altogether.
Landfills become overburdened with garbage which is unable to be recycled. The many problems of wet cardboard are the result of careless management practices.
How Cardboard Gets Recycled?
If you recycle cardboard at home, you should be aware that some curbside recycling programs may not accept your empty boxes.
You may be required to sort your recycling into several separate containers before it can be deposited into the recycling vehicle. If you’re not sure, contact your local recycling contractor.
Those containers’ contents are collected and shipped to a recycling facility for processing.
The bins are emptied, and their contents are reused in new products such as cardboard or new paper products.
Cardboard can be recycled into recycled paper for paper products, such as newspapers or books.
The combined materials must be sorted at the MRF into specific types of materials.
Metals are separated from these recyclables using magnets, while glass is sorted by a machine called an optical scanner. Plastic and cardboard are processed by machines that shred them into small, uniform pieces.
These pieces can then be compressed down into a single bale and sold as recycled fiber paper.
A small percentage of these materials are sold to recyclers who turn them into new products such as cleaning supplies and toilet paper.
The paper and cardboard are separated from the other components by passing them through a conveyor belt.
Some time later, the conveyor belt transports the separated materials to a pulp mill or paper machine. The wet paper or cardboard can also be placed in cardboard bales, which are then transported to a recycling center.
Recycled cardboard can be used to make paper and other products such as boxes.
This will not work if cardboard Stream Recycling is mixed with other non-recyclable materials, such as plastic bags.
They may not only fail to separate correctly, but also get damaged in the process.
Why Can’t You Recycle Wet Cardboard?
Even if you package your cardboard and send it off to be recycled, you want it to come back as dry and clean as possible.
To assess the value and utility of an item, we generally look for the materials and energy it is composed of, and how those materials can be reused.
Paper is an obvious choice, but many other recycling options exist as well.
Foamed plastic, for example, takes 30 minutes to decompose in composting facilities.
Wet cardboard is much heavier than dry cardboard, so dry cardboard can be loaded into a truck or sent to a recycling center.
They normally won’t take wet cardboard.
Furthermore, when paper is wet, it becomes more difficult to recycle since it becomes easier to shred. To destroy paper, it needs to be washed in hot water and turned into pulp so it can later be turned into paper again.
Have you ever had a box that was so soggy that as soon as you opened it, water immediately soaked through the cardboard?
The pulp is absorbent, which is why so much of the paper and cardboard that is produced in this country is recycled. In pulp mills, the cellulose in paper or cardboard is boiled and dissolved.
The water and the cellulose are processed using refining techniques, producing white particles called pulp. The pulp is transported to paper mills, where it is used to make paper.
Recycled material should not be contaminated – by water, pollutants in the air, or anything else.
When cardboard is damp, the cardboard may take on the consistency of wet mud. It is then difficult to recycle into new products.
Water weakens the paper fibers in cardboard, causing it to become more brittle. Mold grows easily in damp cardboard.
When the cardboard is dry, mold goes away. Cardboard that is wet for a prolonged period of time is not recyclable.
Another reason to keep your cardboard dry is so that folds are easy to make. With moist cardboard, folds are difficult to maintain, and cardboard can become damaged.
Recycling moldy cardboard makes recycling more difficult and, in some cases, impossible.
How to Dispose of Wet Cardboard?
Plant Pots
Plant pots may be made by unrolling a cardboard box and covering it with a plastic bag. Cardboard boxes are inexpensive and can be reused many times.
Wet cardboard may also be used, but you may need to soak it first and allow it to dry completely before using it.
To make a plant plot, use duct tape to hold cardboard together. The red tape should hold a handful of wet cardboard together inside a plastic grocery bag.
Once it’s dry, plant seeds or cuttings. Dig a small hole for each plant, and give rooting compound and fertilizer to the plants.
Plant pots are durable, reusable, and eco-friendly gardening containers that are created from biodegradable materials like cardboard.
Then, using a plastic cup, pour water into the cardboard, filling it till it’s completely full.
You can cut a hole in the plastic bag so that excess water can drain into the cup. Now you can plant your seeds and add the tube to a growing lamp.
If you like, you can sprinkle a little soil over the cardboard. Some plants, like tomatoes, grow better in soil.
Make several drainage holes on the cardboard box to create extra room for the excess water to drip out.
Then, put soil in the box to cover the bottom and the sides. Water your soil well, and place your plant in the cardboard pot.
Pots in which you’ve planted plants can be composted, recycled, or thrown away. Once you remove the plant from the pot, compost the pot for gardening use next time.
Mulch
Mulch may be composed of dry wood chips, bark mulch, bark chips, leaves, straw, hay, grass clippings, or compost.
It may be used to keep plants, trees, and bushes inside.
Get huge pieces of cardboard and place them along the border of the flower garden.
Overlap the edges of the cardboard over the soil and weeds. This will keep the sunlight from penetrating the soil and poisoning the vegetation.
Plant trees or decorative plants in the shape of the cardboard cutouts. During the winter, the cardboard will keep the cold out and insulate the plants, helping them grow.
The cardboard prevents the weeds from obtaining sunlight, resulting in slower growth.
Cutting off pieces of cardboard and placing them in ornamental flower beds creates a fun DIY project, increasing the curb appeal of your home.
During the winter, it protects the plants from sudden temperature changes and the loss of water.
Another option is to use mulch, leaf litter, or wood chips instead.
The moist cardboards will slowly degrade and nourish the soil with their own nutrients.
Storage Boxes
Many people waste money on boxes when they could be making them themselves. The process only takes a few minutes to do and cost almost nothing.
Drying wet cardboard makes it stronger than regular cardboard, which is the main advantage of this type of packaging.
During the drying phase, remove the cardboard that will not be used for partitions. These pieces can be used as kindling.
Please note that dried cardboard is flammable.
You can make storage boxes that appeal to anyone, no matter what their style may be.
The advantage of making your own storage box is the ability to customize it to your needs.
You aren’t searching for a pretty, pre-made package here.
What you’re searching for is a storage box that can serve multiple purposes. A box should allow you to organize the items it stores in order to achieve maximum space savings.
You may choose from a wide range of designs and materials so you can make a custom box to match your unique style.
Children Playhouses
In current modern era, there are numerous games and toys to keep kids entertained, but not many of them value their inventiveness or originality.
To make a little home, all you need are, is a cardboard box. Creative play will be reignited.
Make that the cardboard is completely dry before beginning construction on the playhouse.
A little home with windows and a door can be a fun project for children. They can let their imaginations run wild as they create their little home and redecorate it to their liking.
This will spark a sense of wonder in the kids, and they will be excited to get home and work on it.
However, before you begin building, consider outlining the size of your playhouse so you can see how it will look and decide how large it should be.
You can make functional doors, windows, a staircase, and even a porch.
How do You recycle cardboard?
Cardboard is a popular packing material, and its recycling rates continue to improve.
Remove any interior packing materials, break open the cardboard, and flatten it. You can then either recycle the cardboard or leave it out for the garbage man to pick up.
If you’re going to recycle your cardboard outdoors, be sure not to put it out until after the rain.
Conclusion
It is quite hard to reuse wet cardboard since it’s not recommended that you use it as compost.
As a result, you’ll help the environment by not contributing to any more wet cardboard ending up in landfills.
If you put damp cardboard in the recycling anyhow, it will contaminate the rest of the pile.
