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