Cardboard recycling is a crucial element of waste management in various parts of Australia. Cardboard recycling in Melbourne helps reduce the environmental impact of garbage in the area and conserves natural resources. Now, how does cardboard get recycled?
The cardboard recycling process typically involves transforming used or thrown-away cardboard materials into new paper products.
Let’s explore how cardboard is recycled in Australia, emphasising its stages, implications, and advantages.
Cardboard Recycling Process
Step 1: Collection
The first step of the process is the collection of cardboard waste materials. There are various ways it can be done in the country:
Curbside Pickup
Curbside collection entails allowing your local council to pick up the recycling bins at your residential or commercial location. Such bin collections usually happen during specific days of the week, and they expect you to have the cardboard properly flattened in its designated bin.
Commercial Recycling
Assuming that you have a large quantity of discarded cardboard in your possession due to moving or your business, looking for a commercial recycling company is a better option for you. The reason is that they are more capable of handling such products in bulk than the local council.
Drop-Off Facilities
If your place is too far from the curbside collectors’ route or you cannot wait for them to arrive, local recycling centres will allow you to drop off the cardboard materials in their designated locations. Some may have multiple drop-off points, so you have to bring everything to the one closest to you.
Step 2: Sorting
Once all the cardboard products have been collected, they will then be transported to a sorting facility.
As the name suggests, that’s where professional recyclers will go through every item and segregate them based on various types of cardboard.
Sorting is a crucial part of the process because not all cardboard is made and recycled in the same way.
For instance, corrugated cardboard differs from a cardboard food container since the latter may have non-biodegradable components. That will then require a slight variation in the process or the use of another machine.
Another factor to consider is the state of the material when it arrives at the recycling facility.
How clean is it? Does it have glue, staples, or tape on it? Did the cardboard get wet at some point? Can you see any mould on the surface?
The answers to these questions can determine if the facility can recycle it, and they can all be answered during sorting.
Step 3: Pre-Cleaning
The third step is pre-cleaning the cardboard. It is essential to remove anything stuck on the material, whether it’s tape, plastic, or staples, before recycling. The same goes for the greasy parts of cardboard, assuming that it was used to contain pizza and other oily foods.
The primary reason here is that we want to have a clean, recycled product in the end. Everything mentioned above is technically a contaminant that could weaken the paper if mixed with it.Â
Furthermore, only some recycling machines can break down such additional materials. That could cause more problems than necessary for the facility if the machine malfunctions because of them.
Step 4: Pulping
Once the cardboard is ready, the fourth step is pulping. Pulping means shredding the paper product by putting it into a large machine and mixing it with chemicals and water.
The goal is to break down the cardboard structure, specifically the paper fibres, into a pulp. This process also removes inks, glue residue, and other contaminants from the slurry. Recyclers will use the pulp in the final step to create paper products, so it must be free of contaminants.Â
Step 5: Deinking and Cleaning
If the recycled products need to be as white as possible for paper sheets, another step must be added: deinking and cleaning. The paper fibres go through a deinking process to remove all dyes and inks before being washed.Â
The recyclers typically soak the paper fibres in detergents or soaps. Once the ink floats, it becomes easy to skim off and discard. Then, they rinse and screen the paper thoroughly until all the contaminants are gone. Others may take it further and spin the pulp to remove the remaining impurities.
Step 6: Making New Products
After everything is done, the pulp can now be turned into new paper products.Â
Depending on the facility’s desired output, the old cardboard can become a sheet of paper or even new cardboard.
However, the process often starts with diluting the pulp with water and then using a machine to transform the pulp into sheets. The water helps to make it easier to spread through a fine mesh and allows the fibres to bond with each other.
Eventually, the new paper gets pressed and dried to create a sturdy new product.
Environmental Impact
Cardboard recycling positively impacts the environment; that’s why more and more recycling centres appear locally.
After all, when you use old paper to make new paper, you no longer have to get your materials from the trees. That is especially true if you clean the fibres well because they will be no different from the virgin pulp trees provide.
The fact that tree logging is no longer necessary also means we don’t need to use fuel to get the deed done. Aside from that, recycling consumes less energy and emits fewer greenhouse gases than breaking down actual trees and transforming them into paper.
You can imagine how good it will be for the environment if we keep reducing the number of trees we have to cut down every year, thanks to recycling.
In Summary
The cardboard recycling process in Australia may seem complex, but consider the benefits it could bring to you and the environment.
It shows that we can preserve nature, especially if the entire community participates in recycling programs and encourages more people to live sustainably.
If you need assistance recycling cardboard in Melbourne for your business, do not hesitate to contact us today. We can give you a free quote and ensure a smooth transaction at any time.
