When paperboard is delivered to a paper recycling centre, it is separated
into two types: flat sheets and corrugated board. While paper and
chipboard can be recycled together, it is vital to keep grades distinct
because they will be recycled into different products.
The paper materials will then be shredded into tiny pieces and mixed
with water and chemicals to create a slurry. This recycled pulp is
then combined with a tiny amount of new wood chip pulp. This
combination is now filtered, chemically treated, and centrifugally
separated to remove tape, metals, plastics, and ink.
The pulp is now cleaned, dried, and pressed into long sheets. To
produce new cardboard, these sheets are bonded together.
Chipboard is an intriguing and extremely useful material that can be
used for a wide range of packaging and other purposes. It has good
recycling credentials, and with high percentages of new goods including
recycled fibres, it is poised to become one of the century's
reprocessing success stories.