Sheri Bowyer

There are two types of cardboard that we all use- corrugated cardboard and paperboard. Corrugated cardboard is a thin, stiff material made of paper pulp. It consists of corrugated “wrinkled” materials between two flat facings and is most commonly used for shipping, packaging and pizza boxes. Paperboard or boxboard, is flat, stiff, and often coated to give a glossy appearance. Cereal, drink, detergent, tissue, and shoe boxes are the most common paperboard packaging. Most cardboard waste comes from big companies like supermarkets, but most of us get a visit from UPS or buy many products packaged in paperboard. So what do we do with all of that cardboard? Recycle it!

Recycledcardboard only takes 75 percent of the energy needed to make new cardboard and lessens the emission of sulfur dioxide that is produced when making pulp from trees. In addition, recyclingone ton of cardboard saves nine cubic yards of landfill space and 46 gallons of oil. Can you say no new landfills? With a recovery rate of 78 percent in 2007, it seems that we are doing a good job recyclingour cardboard. But we still have more work to do. Before I caught the recycling bug, I thought paperboard couldn’t be recycled, but boy was I wrong. Paperboard has turned into a recyclinggiant with it having the second highest recovery rate of all paper products just behind newspaper. In fact, for more than 125 years, much of our paperboard has been produced from 100 percent recycled paper. Paperboard recycling is an obvious help to our environment, but also to our economy employing many people at more than 80 mills in North America.

So check your trash and pull out all of your cardboard and paperboard products, flatten them and bring them to the Thomas Refuse Recycling Center. Don’t waste a good thing.

R-E-C-Y-C-L-E

It begins with you and me. To find out more information on how to recycle visit www.thomasrefuse.us or contact Thomas Refuse Service at 760-379-2618. Please forward all recycling questions or comments to sheri@thomasrefuse.us.