Cardboard, Paperboard, Boxes, and More

Stacked CardboardWe don’t give much thought to cardboard in this day and age. We use it for many different things, and many tasks can’t be completed without it. Think about the postal service… Can you imagine what shipping items would be like without cardboard boxes? We’d have to have wooden boxes for most everything!

Cardboard is often under appreciated in our society. We use different variations of cardboard for lots of things. Think about this: we have traditional corrugated cardboard, like that you see in regular brown cardboard boxes, and paperboard, which is a thinner cardboard we use for cereal boxes and foods. Both of these items are widely recycled (woohoo!), except sometimes when contaminated with chemicals or food greases. Imagine what cereal would be like without paperboard boxes. Everything would probably end up in plastic bags!

Stacked BoxesCardboard is an interesting material made by wood fibers in the same way paper is pressed together. Relatively inexpensive and lightweight, cardboard, like other paper, can be recycled up to five or six times. Cardboard is actually on the low end of the recycling hierarchy; when writing paper (or premium quality paper) is recycled, since the fibers are cut shorter, the next item below it to be created with the fibers can be turned to a notepad. When that notepad is recycled, it can be turned into tissues, cardboard, paperboard, or toilet paper. Often times, regular corrugated cardboard boxes can be recycled into paperboard. However, most recycled paper is shipped abroad to China, so you probably won’t see the pizza box you tossed in the recycle bin in any other form. Recycling waste is actually the US’s largest export to China.

The origins of cardboard as we know it today are complicated. Without being so widely known, it’s hard to trace, exactly, where cardboard comes from. It’s thought that the original idea of cardboard began about four thousand years ago during the Han Dynasty in China. Isn’t it interesting to know that we export cardboard to China when they were the original pioneers of the idea? Individuals would use treated sheets of Mulberry tree bark to wrap and preserve foods. As paper items and printing presses became more prevalent, cardboard gradually began to take shape. Originally used to be written on (instead of storage), the first actual documented use of a cardboard box was in 1817 for a German board game.

In 1856, corrugated cardboard came to be when Edward Allen and Edward Healey patented a product in England for pleated paper, which afforded both flexibility and some insulating warmth.  The actual familiar cardboard box shape wasn’t actually created until 1879 by Robert Gair, who owned a paper bag factory. Pre-creased and pre-cut cardboard boxes were soon used by many companies and big time clients around the world.

Curious as to how corrugated cardboard is recycled? Homeguides.com provides a full breakdown of how a cardboard box is turned to new boxes.

Do you do anything special to recycle your waste cardboard? Let us know in the comments below.

Things we Love (and Hate) About Moving in Springtime

As of yesterday, it is officially spring in the Northern Hemisphere! While it may not truly start to feel like...
Read More

How to Move Houseplants (Without Killing Them)

If you’re a devoted plant carer, you know that your collection of houseplants can get surprisingly large, and as living...
Read More

How to Celebrate the Holidays Just Before (Or After) a Move

Whether you just moved or you’re getting ready to, trying to celebrate the holidays when your life has been all...
Read More

Preparing your New House for Winter

So, you just moved into a new house, and now the temps are dropping fast—whether you’re new to New England...
Read More

Fun Autumn Activities in the Central Lakes Region of New Hampshire

It’s finally starting to feel like fall in New England! To celebrate PSLs, changing leaves, and a little crispness in...
Read More

Things to Do in Your First Month in a New Home

So you’ve made the move to a new home: congratulations! Whether you’re ready to settle immediately or have a long...
Read More

How to Stay Cool When Moving in the Summer

Summertime is prime time for moving, whether you’re moving into an apartment, a house, or a dorm room. Summertime can...
Read More

Fun Things Happening in New Hampshire this Summer

A lot of people, even locals, associate New Hampshire with beautiful autumn leaves or long winters, but summertime in the...
Read More

How to Prepare for an International Move

Moving is always a challenge, but moving overseas or internationally can be even more stressful! Here are some tips for...
Read More

Low-Cost & Low-Waste Tips for Moving

If you’ve ever moved before, you probably know that along with the realization that you have a lot of stuff...
Read More
Want updates like this delivered straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our blog to receive moving tips, the latest and greatest around NH, and more. We don't share your email address with anyone and you can unsubscribe at any time.