As you probably know, cardboard, like all other types of paper products, is recyclable. At the same time, though, you're probably saying to yourself, but cardboard is just so cumbersome to dispose of! Can't I just put it in the dumpster behind my home or business and be done with it? Despite the fact that cardboard often comes in large, box-shaped forms that are not the most conveniently recycled refuse you are likely to encounter, it is still just as important to recycle it as it is anything else. That said, the following is a list of the benefits of recycling cardboard, in the hopes that you'll think twice the next time you're contemplating leaving your cardboard boxes on the curb or in the alley in the middle of the night.

 Social Benefits: Corrugated cardboard boxes can be donated to charities or to schools for creative/educational purposes.

 Environmental Benefits: Recycling cardboard (like any other type of paper) reduces the demand for new paper from virgin pulp, thereby saving trees and decreasing the amount of pollution generated in new paper production. Because cardboard is such a bulky waste product, recycling saves significant amounts of space in landfills and also reduces pollution in areas where trash is incinerated. Corrugated cardboard can be identified by its multi-layer construction and its brown color. The wavy middle layer is what gives the cardboard its strength, while at the same time making it light in weight. Cardboard is inexpensive to produce and to date is the most efficient shipping container used to package and move materials securely.

 Two types of cardboard can be recycled: flat cardboard, which is typically used in cereal and shoe boxes, and corrugated cardboard, which has a ruffled layer between the two flat pieces of cardboard and is often used in packing boxes. Both can usually be recycled through your local Odessa Recycle Time Machine. Old corrugated containers are an excellent source of fiber for recycling. They can be compressed and baled for cost effective transport to anywhere in need of fiber for papermaking.
The baled boxes are put in a hydropulper which is a large vat of warm water for cleaning and processing. The pulp slurry is
then used to make new paper and fiber products.

 Recycling corrugated fiberboard helps conserve natural resources and energy. It also helps countries without sustainable wood resources build a paper and packaging industry locally and develop their exports to global markets. Over 70% of the corrugated manufactured is recovered, recycled and made into new corrugated products throughout the world.

Do you know?

- Paper and cardboard make up around 32% of the household trash we throw away every year.
- Every ton of recycled cardboard saves 17 trees, 2 cubic yards of landfill space and 4100 hours of electricity.
- For each person in the US we annually use 140 corrugated cardboard boxes.

 The simplest and most cost-effective method for reducing the amount of cardboard discarded is by reducing the amount received/produced. Many suppliers over-package goods because they assume customers prefer heavily packaged products. Check with suppliers and distributors whether items can be supplied with less cardboard or other packaging.

Consider these ways to REUSE cardboard:

- Layer cardboard in the garden to act as weed-controlling mulch.
- Cardboard works great in compost. Use it to line the compost heap or layer it with wet grass cuttings. The cardboard should be shredded so that it will mix with other materials and decompose quickly.
- Shred cardboard to use as animal bedding.
- Research fun ways to create household objects using cardboard tubes.

Before recycling cardboard or taking to the Odessa Recycle Time Machine, here is a list of cardboard products that should not be recycled:

- Pizza boxes (grease contamination)
- Boxes that have not been flattened and emptied out
- Wet Boxes