Boxes For Reuse :: Research

Research

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Articles
It's Not Easy Being Corrugated (Libby Lowe)
Reuse vs. Recycling (Miranda DuPont)

Reuse vs. Recycling

Corrugated boxes are the most recycled product in the waste stream. When you consider the versatility and durability of corrugated, you have to wonder why so many companies often default to recycling their corrugated boxes after only a single use. Unfortunately, the recycling process generates its share of waste and environmentally harmful chemicals and emissions just like any other conventional industrial process. Source reduction in the form of reuse is a much more effective way to minimize the overall environmental impacts of waste production.

What’s the Difference?
Recycling is the act of collecting a product that’s perceived to have completed its useful purpose and processing that product for its raw materials. Those raw materials can then be manufactured into a new product, generally used for a different purpose. (For instance, tires are commonly recycled to make rubber playground mulch.)
Reuse is the act of recovering a product so that it may be used one or more times, usually for a similar purpose. Reuse postpones the recycling process, guarantees maximum lifespan of the product and the materials used to make it, and promotes source reduction by reducing the need for virgin fiber to make a new cardboard box.

The Disadvantages of Recycling Corrugated Boxes
While recycling your boxes is a fine way to divert paper from the waste stream, the process has its own impacts on the environment.

Energy and Water Use. The paper and pulp industry is the third largest consumer of energy, using 11.5% of all energy in the industrial sector, and the largest industrial consumer of water in the United States.
Limited Recyclability. Corrugated boxes can only be recycled five to seven times before the box’s cellulose fibers turn into sludge and can’t be made into new paper, at which point the box must be landfilled. Then virgin fibers must be added to the recycled pulp in order to build a viable box.
Production of GHG Emissions. Once the sludge from a corrugated box is landfilled, its decomposition produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas with high global warming potential. And, according to the EPA, about 20% of the corrugated collected for recycling in the United States is exported, mostly to China—which uses fuel and produces GHG emissions.
Water Pollution. In addition to the chemicals used to process recycled pulp, the sludge from a corrugated box can leach inks, coatings and fillers into the ground, endangering wildlife and aquatic habitats.

The Recycling Process Can Cause
Water Pollution

According to the US EPA, the chemical process used to produce recycled (deinked) pulp from paper has contaminated the Kalamazoo River with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs are highly toxic persistent organic pollutants and have been linked to
cancer in humans.

It’s true that recycling your corrugated is definitely less harmful to the environment than tossing it into a landfill. It’s also true that paper recycling has seen a number of improvements since its inception, and more improvements are likely in the future. However, these four disadvantages of recycling offer compelling reasons to reuse corrugated boxes as many times as possible before recycling them.

Why Reuse?
There are a number of compelling reasons to reuse corrugated boxes. The economic benefits are certainly persuasive: reuse can reduce your company’s waste disposal and handling costs by avoiding recycling and landfilling. But we think the environmental benefits of reuse are more valuable.

In 1990 in the United States alone, corrugated boxes comprised over 12% of national waste. And that figure will only rise as the world demand for corrugated is expected to increase 3.4% between 2008-2013.

So what can we do to mitigate the impact our packaging needs have on the environment?

A company that makes shipments in single-use corrugated boxes can cut the quantity of container material needed by 50 percent if it uses those boxes twice, or by 70.6 percent if it ships its products in reusable corrugated boxes that can be used five times.

Source reduction is defined as a change in product purchasing or use that ultimately reduces its volume or environmental
toxicity before it becomes solid waste. Reuse is an excellent method of source reduction.

According to the US EPA, the most environmentally sound way to manage waste is to first pursue source reduction by reusing. Recycling should be the second measure. Finally, as a last resort, disposal in landfills.

The Major Environmental Benefits of Reuse

Reduce Waste. On average, reusable packaging generates 95% less total solid waste than single use. Reusing your packaging also conserves landfill availability.
Reduce Pollution. Reuse postpones recycling, avoiding the effluents associated with the pulp recycling process.
Reduce GHG Emissions. The packaging manufacturing process produces a number of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide and methane. By reusing existing boxes, you avoid the manufacturing process and reduce overall production of GHG emissions.
Extend Product Life Cycle. Reuse delays a product’s entry into the waste stream, effectively extending its life cycle. It also extends the life cycle of the materials used to make that product, conserving our natural resources.
Promote Source Reduction. Reuse reduces the need to manufacture new corrugated boxes and process more trees or wood products to make virgin pulp.

"Companies that have made the switch to reusable packaging experience lower shipping and labor costs, better product protection, more productive flow of goods through distribution channels, plus better ergonomics and improved worker safety. These companies have also reduced their waste management costs and positively impacted the environment by generating less waste and reducing the need to build expensive disposal facilities or more landfill." [Reusables 101, a study published by the StopWaste Partnership and the Reusable Packaging Association]

Corrugated boxes are perfectly reusable, and the environmental benefits of reuse are undeniable. So why recycle or dispose of your corrugated after only a single use? Contact Empty Boxes for information about our reusable box and recovery programs.