Should You Compost or Recycle Cardboard?

Cardboard waste is the largest waste stream for the vast majority of businesses. In the UK, cardboard packaging waste accounted for 43.8% of total packaging waste in 2019, with around 69.3% of that packaging actually recycled. 

Recycling has advanced so much in recent years that recycling paper and cardboard has become second nature to many of us. Often, we pop cardboard in the recycling without a second thought. But is it better to recycle our cardboard or compost it? 

Like many things in life, the answer is, “it depends” and this is even more true for businesses. We need to consider several factors such as space, convenience, time and money. Here we talk through the pros and cons of composting and recycling our cardboard. 

Composting Cardboard

While it might seem strange to consider composting cardboard instead of recycling it, not only is it a viable alternative, but it also benefits your garden! 

Which Types of Cardboard Can You Compost?

There’s a lot of debate about which types of cardboard you can compost, which can make it pretty confusing. However, it’s worth doing the research as there are numerous benefits to composting cardboard instead of recycling it, and there are times when composting is the only eco-friendly solution. 

When it comes to composting paper and cardboard, there are two schools of thought. Some people believe that you can compost any and all paper products. However, an opposing view is that glossy or waxed paper and cardboard, particularly those that print, should not go in the compost bin at all. So which is right? 

As it turns out, both have their merits and it’ll be down to your personal choice and comfort level whether you decide to compost printed materials or not. 

Historically, inks, glues and glosses were made from petroleum-based materials and often contained metallic elements. When composted, these materials release potentially harmful chemicals into the earth, which is a little counterproductive when you’re trying to be more eco-friendly. 

The good news is that modern inks, glosses and glues are made from water-based materials such as vegetable oil, soybean and kaolin. When these are broken down, they’re completely harmless in the soil. As a result, the vast majority of cardboard should be suitable for composting, but the only way to be 100% sure is to contact the manufacturer.  

What Are the Benefits?

Contrary to popular belief, recycling is not 100% zero-waste. It takes energy and valuable resources to process paper and cardboard to make it usable again. 

Composting is a much cleaner process and doesn’t demand any fossil fuels or water to decompose the cardboard. The cardboard doesn’t require any transportation to a waste disposal centre, and so far fewer resources are used in the endeavour. 

“Brown” items, like cardboard, paper and dead plant clippings, are an important ingredient in composting. They help to balance out the nutrients within the compost, which results in rich, humus. In addition, paper-based products soak up excess moisture and improve the airflow in the compost heap, helping to decompose the material more efficiently. 

Best Approach

To compost your cardboard, you’ll need to remove any materials that will not decompose with the cardboard. Think plastic tape or sticky labels. These elements can contaminate your resulting compost. 

For the best results, you’ll want to break down larger pieces of cardboard. In a busy business, you probably don’t want to spend vast amounts of manpower tearing sheets of cardboard into smaller pieces. That’s where a cardboard shredder comes in. Not only can a cardboard shredder quickly and conveniently shred your cardboard into smaller pieces, but it can also securely shred any confidential documents you may have before you stick them in a compost bin. 

Recycling Cardboard

When we recycle our cardboard, it gets turned into another usable product. For businesses, it’s a quick and convenient method of disposing of excess cardboard waste.   

Which Types of Cardboard Can Be Recycled?

Although any cardboard can be recycled, it needs to be clean and free from contaminants. Cardboard that’s covered in plastic coatings or contaminated with grease from food is not recyclable. 

“Wishcycling” can be a significant problem and is where people mistakenly believe that something is recyclable when it’s not. Including contaminated cardboard in your recycling can spoil the entire bundle, meaning it cannot be recycled at all and takes the resource out of the circular economy. 

What Are the Benefits?

Although recycling cardboard is not a completely clean process, recycling paper-based products into other products uses less energy and raw materials than producing paper from scratch. It also helps to keep the cardboard within the paper production lifecycle, reducing the need to introduce new raw materials into the process and minimising the demand for trees. 

It can also be less time-consuming for businesses to recycle rather than compost cardboard, as generally, it takes less effort to get the cardboard ready for collection. You’ll also save space on-site since you don’t need to keep a compost heap around. 

You can even use your unwanted cardboard boxes to cut costs elsewhere in your business. Shredding cardboard into smaller pieces can make a cheaper and more eco-friendly alternative to bubble wrap or packing peanuts. 

Best Approach

The simplest way to dispose of cardboard is to bale it. A cardboard baler compresses your cardboard into tidy bundles that are tied with twine or wire. Not only does the resulting bale take up less space than the original pile of cardboard, but it’s also easier to transport. Baling cardboard is very cost-effective as it can dispose of more material in the same waste bin or collection round. 

An alternative to baling your cardboard is to shred it ready to reuse within your business. Shredding the cardboard makes it suitable for a range of purposes such as shock-absorbing packaging or animal bedding. 

Which Method is Best Suited for Your Business?

Whether you choose to compost or recycle your waste cardboard depends on a few factors and ultimately, your business needs. 

Composting works well if you’ve got the space to manage a compost heap and you have a use for the compost afterwards. It’s also a good option if your cardboard contains print or is regularly soiled. 

Traditional recycling is a quick and convenient way to dispose of your cardboard and won’t take up as much space in your place of work. It can be the preferred option if you’ve got limited time and space, or if you have an alternative use for your waste cardboard. 

Explore Our Cardboard Balers and Shredders

At QRC, we offer a range of different waste management machines including cardboard balers and shredders. We have plenty of cost-effective solutions for your business, including new and refurbished machines for sale as well as rental options. Get in touch today to discuss your business’ waste management needs.