At the last Yuma County Landfill Board meeting, it was reported that some of our cardboard was rejected due to too many contaminants in the load.
With new recycling options available in the county, this should be a problem that we can easily rectify. If you or your business uses the cardboard trailers to recycle, please remember that it is important to follow some simple rules. This way the county can sell clean loads of cardboard to the paper mills and can continue to provide this recycling service to our communities.
The first rule for recycling cardboard is to make sure that you are only placing corrugated cardboard in the trailers. Chipboard can be easily confused with cardboard and while chipboard is very similar to cardboard, it is not corrugated like cardboard. Corrugated cardboard is made of three layers of cardboard with a layer of wavy fiber in between the outer layers. Chipboard (paperboard) is made from only a single, thin layer of material. It is typically used to make cake, cereal, Kleenex, soda and beer boxes to name a few. Chipboard should be recycled in the new recycling bins with paper, not in the cardboard trailers.
Boxes should be emptied and flattened. Paper, peanuts, plastic air pillows or Styrofoam packing should always be removed from boxes before being placed in the trailer. It is important to flatten all boxes so that the trailer can be filled with the greatest amount of cardboard possible. Boxes that have not been broken down take up valuable space and make a trip to the landfill inefficient. Just like cardboard, you should always flatten the chipboard boxes before placing them in the bin to save room.
Are there exceptions to the corrugated rule? Unfortunately, yes. One item that is being rejected by the paper mills is corrugated cardboard that has been painted with a shiny logo. The outside of the box no longer looks like cardboard and has a glossy almost waxy feel. The materials used in this coating helps protect the box from breaking down but unfortunately makes it no longer able to be recycled. Pampers boxes have a coating like this. Beer boxes that contain wet strength cannot be accepted in the cardboard trailer either.
Please check ReNew Recycling on Facebook for pictures of items that should not be placed in the cardboard trailers. Questions can also be placed in the comment sections. You can also contact your local municipality or the County Landfill for more specifics.
