Online shopping has been going absolutely gangbusters.<\/p>\n
This boom means that people are sending a lot of stuff around through the mail. I\u2019m no exception: I jokingly call my front door \u201cthe shipping bay\u201d because these days, there are always boxes standing there, waiting to be sent out or opened up.<\/p>\n
With every delivery, there comes a cardboard box – and consumers haven\u2019t ever had to take responsibility for disposing of cardboard on this scale before. Turns out, it’s no small responsibility<\/a>.<\/p>\n Different materials have very different “life spans.\u201d<\/a> For example, glass and metal can be recycled indefinitely (in ideal conditions.) Most plastics can only be recycled once or twice, and brand-new “virgin” plastic is still required in the process.<\/p>\n Since cardboard is made from unbleached paper fibers that are long and durable, it happens to be a recycling goldmine. New corrugated cardboard can be recycled lots of times, and then repurposed into other materials when it degrades. That is, as long as it’s kept clean and dry.<\/p>\n The majority of businesses that deal with boxed goods on a large scale have systems to ensure that their cardboard gets recycled efficiently and responsibly. Although, there isn\u2019t a federal program or mandate that ensures this. Most locales have some kind of regional or state law that requires businesses to recycle.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the average household is much more likely to dispose of cardboard in the garbage or soil it too much to be usable.<\/p>\n In fact, most home recycling bins in the US are contaminated beyond salvageability. Once all the bins in the neighborhood get collected and mixed together, dirty recyclables can mess up the rest of the batch, too. Recycling sorters often have to sift through everything from human waste to batteries, which are a fire hazard when mixed with paper recycling.<\/p>\n Cardboard is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the waste that is generated by online shopping<\/a>.<\/p>\n