Used packaging starts life as used packaging and is recycled back into new packaging. We explore the recycling process to create cardboard packaging from a used box.
Collection and Sorting
Cardboard that has been collected from households through kerbside collection is taken to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where it is sorted into different materials. Most cardboard is ‘corrugated’ which means that it has a fluted (corrugated) middle layer. Flat cardboard is also collected and can be recycled on its own. Waxed cardboard or cardboard that has become contaminated during use cannot be repulped into new cardboard, so this is removed from the recycling stream at this point.
Pulping and Contaminant Removal
The sorted cardboard is then shredded and mixed with water in huge vats to form a slurry, or pulp. Any staples or metal are heavy enough to fall to the bottom of the vat and be removed as waste. The ink is removed from the pulp using a process called flotation, where the ink is mixed with air and the ink forms bubbles which rise to the surface of the pulp slurry where it is then skimmed off. To find out more about the recycling of paper and cardboard see Recycle Now.
Fibre Length and Grade
Each time fibres are recycled they are shortened in length. During the recycling process the pulp is graded by mills. The shorter fibres can be used as inner liner, the longer fibres are reserved for the outer faces of boxes where more durability is required.
Sheet Formation and Drying
The pulp is then spread evenly across the wire mesh to allow the majority of the water to drain off. The now wet sheet is then processed through a series of heated four colour roller dryers, where the sheet is pressed and dried using heat, typically at 130 to 150 degrees Celsius. The resulting dry board is then rolled onto reels and transported to converters where it is cut and creased to form a variety of cardboard packaging solutions of different grades and strengths.
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Ready for Box-Making
The finished board is rolled into large reels to be transported to converters where they are cut and creased to form a wide variety of cardboard packaging. For information on sustainable cardboard packaging see.
Learning this process gives you a newfound appreciation for the importance of the quality of the material that is being recycled and the good recycling practices in order to obtain cardboard packaging for sustainable use.