How paper and cardboard recycling works

As a skip hire business that invests heavily in refining our recycling processes, we believe it’s important to share with our clients what happens to their waste once we ship it off to be processed.

Paper and cardboard are two of the most commonly recycled materials in the UK; it’s an important practice that saves energy, protects the country’s trees from deforestation, and prevents both air and water pollution.

But a lot of people aren’t aware of exactly what can be recycled or how a cardboard box goes from the recycling bin to a brand new product…

What types of paper and cardboard can be recycled

Fortunately for UK residents, every local authority collects paper and cardboard from homes and businesses – including Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Essex where SunSkips operates.

Corrugated cardboard is the most typical material you’ll find in UK recycling bins – the type that Amazon package boxes are made from. Food packaging like cereal boxes, egg cartons, and sleeves for ready meals are also recyclable, as are newspapers, magazines, brochures, documents (intact or shredded) and envelopes (as long as any tape or plastic windows are removed).

However, a lot of food and drink packaging isn’t recyclable, such as cardboard coffee cups, because they’re often blended with plastic film that would contaminate the batch.

MORE: Plastics that can be recycled: a guide to sorting plastics in the UK

Do’s and don’ts for paper and cardboard recycling

While quite a wide range of paper and cardboard is suitable for the recycling bin, not everything makes the cut.

Failing to follow your local authority or waste management provider’s guidelines can make all the work involved in separating your recyclable paper and cardboard a complete waste of time, because it’ll likely be rejected at the facility.

A recent report from East Suffolk Council revealed that 20% of the local authority’s waste arrives at facilities contaminated.

 

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SunSkips gets as much value as possible out of the paper and cardboard it manages, even if it’s contaminated with food waste. Dirty cardboard can be separated and sent off to be used as solid recovered fuel (SRF), while the clean stuff is sent for processing.

MORE: How SunSkips’ recycling screening line works

The paper and cardboard recycling process

Once SunSkips has separated the paper and cardboard from the rest of the rubbish that’s unloaded from the skips at our sites, it’s time to get it sent off for processing.

Most of the cardboard SunSkips collects is bulked in East Anglia and sent for processing in Kent, where it will go on to become new products.

While there are many different techniques and systems for recycling paper and cardboard, it’s generally variations on the same standard process:

1. More separating

Recycling plants will further sort paper and cardboard into various types and grades. Boxboard (thin, single-layer card like cereal boxes) is separated from corrugated cardboard (Amazon boxes), for example.

2. Preparation

Paper and card needs to be properly shredded. This helps filter out other bits and pieces so it’s ready for the next step of the recycling process.

3. Washing

No matter how well separated paper and cardboard waste is, it still needs a good clean with soapy water and bleach to get rid of inks and adhesives that might contaminate the slurry it’ll soon become. It might also go through a centrifugal system and magnets to pull out staples and other big bits.

4. Pulp

The clean paper and card is mixed with water in tanks to make slurries and pulps. Depending on the type and grade, as well as the desired finished product, different additives and colouring agents are mixed in to get it to the right strength and consistency.

5. Taking shape

The slurry is poured out and spread into sheets where it’s left to dry. Steaming, vacuuming or vibration techniques might be used to speed the process along. Extra layers can be added to strengthen it, while some card is crinkled to make packing material.

6. New products

Later, the new materials are rolled up and stored ready to be cut. The former waste paper is finally ready to become fresh cardboard, newspaper reels or printer paper.

Why it’s important to recycle paper and cardboard

Making paper and cardboard from virgin materials is not a great deal for the environment as it means more deforestation.

According to the BBC’s Science Focus, around 35% of all trees felled are used in the paper and cardboard industry. The recycling industry reduces the need for trees to be cut (but it also has less responsibility to plant new trees).

While the recycling process does use a lot of energy (fuel for transport and processing plants), experts believe it consumes around 40% less than traditional paper mills.

However, recycling plants are often run on electricity generated from fossil fuels, while mills burn waste wood – a cleaner energy source.

Recycling paper greatly reduces chemicals like methanol, formaldehyde and toluene contributing to local water and air pollution, which is one of the biggest threats that making paper and cardboard from scratch poses to the environment. In fact, a report from the US Environmental Protection Agency claimed that virgin paper manufacturers are among the worst polluters of any industry in the country.

Recycling paper and cardboard in the UK also means fewer materials need to be imported from overseas to make up for the lack of forestry in the UK to meet demand.

As a waste management company that’s dedicated to diverting as much waste from landfill as possible, SunSkips is particularly keen on the prevention of methane gas emissions that decomposing waste generates when it’s dumped.

Paper and cardboard recycling is largely beneficial for the environment and will only become more so as new waste management technologies make the process even more efficient.

SunSkips is dedicated to recycling paper and cardboard using the latest, most efficient processes to protect our environment from pollution. Get in touch today to discuss how we can help you save time and money with your paper and cardboard recycling.