Let's talk about cardboard...Why recycle cardboard? What kind of cardboard is recyclable? What's the easiest way to break it down and store it for pickup? What happens after we pick it up?
So many of us mindlessly 'throw away' a part of our ecosystem. And when we talk about cardboard, we're talking about the largest component of the municipal solid waste stream in America (23%, EPA). That's a lot of cardboard in your garage. Thanks Costco!
Thankfully, corrugated boxes have a recycling rate of 96.5%, meaning it's the MOST recyclable-recyclable on the planet. By recycling cardboard, many of our houses have cutdown their garbage in half while simultaneously helping reclaiming one of the Earth's valuable resources.
Maui County has several contracts to accept mixed paperboard products, for a wider range of accepted material. Depending on who you use, cardboard is either baled up by Aloha Recycling and shipped to the mainland or baled by Maui Disposal and shipped to legitimate multination companies in China, where it is used to create new fiber-based products. So what happens if we don't recycle our cardboard?
If we don't recycle cardboard, it ends up in our landfills.
This is important. In a landfill, cardboard does not 'compost' but releases methane gasses, due to anaerobic conditions of landfills and because not all cardboards are suitable for composting*. Recycling mixed cardboard, however, to make new fiber-based products can reduce greenhouse gases, saving up to 390 kWh of energy or 75% of energy needed to create from scratch.
Another way of recycling cardboard is by composting it - properly! A proper compost pile does not emit methane due to an aerated process. Cardboard also supplies compost piles with carbon as an excellent energy source for microbial activity.
When shredded, chipped or soaked, compostable cardboard works well for vermicomposting because it is lightweight. Proper composting maintains a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 25 to 30 parts paperboard for every 1 part green ingredient. For shredded or soaked cardboard in a well-managed pile, the material can decompose within three months.
With all that said, how can we really get the most out of our cardboard on Maui?
While composting cardboard is a way to help local farmers and our self-sustainability, the County's current mixed cardboard contracts allow us to recycle a wider range of brown materials, keeping it out of our landfill. That's why UpcountryCurbside is dedicated to doing both. In the coming months, we will work to partner with compost facilities on island to arrange a place to process our customers' compostable cardboard, while ensuring the rest is sorted and processed through County programs.
Preparing your cardboard
The best way to prepare your cardboard for pickup is to ensure it is clean, dry and flattened. Flatten large boxes and place small cardboard into paper bags. Storing cardboard that's flattened will keep your home from becoming overrun by boxes. A rotary cutter or utility knife can help you breakdown boxes easier and quicker than by hand. On pickup day, you may place your paperboard items beside or under your recycle bags/bins.
Cardboard boxes are bulky, so flattening your boxes saves valuable time that can be used to provide this service to more families in our community.
Please stay tuned for future Recycling Research articles.
*Compostable cardboards include unbleached cardboard, paper egg cartons, brown cardboard packing and unwaxed/non-glossy cardboards
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