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Where possible, it’s advised to remove as much tape as you can before you recycle your cardboard. The problem is that any tape left in the slurry will diminish the quality of the end product. When this occurs, tape naturally comes off and can be collected the machine or workers. This is because all the cardboard get soaked in water at the recycling facility to turn the fibres into a slurry mixture. However, pieces of cardboard or paper with small amounts of tape on may still be recyclable. If your piece of cardboard is covered in tape then it’s probably not recyclable and certainly not compostable. If it’s not coated with any unnatural materials, cardboard will breakdown naturally into carbon dioxide, water and organic waste. Have a read here to see how recyclable wood is. In general, yes cardboard is compostable.Ĭoming from tree trunks, cardboard is a wood-based carbon-rich material. Many household items are made from cardboard For a product to be labelled as compostable, 90% of the material must have broken down within 12 weeks in an industrial composter. Something can only be classed as compostable if it breaks down into non-toxic constituents that cause no harm to the environment within a certain time period. For example, you might see plastic dog poo b ags labelled as ‘biodegradable’, when in fact it’s not what you think.Ī much more well-defined term is compostable. There are no time constraints to this, which is why biodegradable often gets misused when it comes to products and the marketing behind them. All biodegradable means is that microorganisms will breakdown the material. Given enough time, almost everything is biodegradable. If you’re a little unsure of the difference between biodegradable and compostable, let me briefly explain. With the majority of cardboard classed as biodegradable, does this mean it is compostable too?
DOES CARDBOARD DECOMPOSE FREE
It needs to be free of the additional materials that sometimes come with cardboard, including tape, paint, glue, glitter, polystyrene and any plastic coatings. In other situations, cardboard can be contaminated with other substances, such as oil and grease, which make it more difficult to biodegrade.įor cardboard to biodegrade fully, it will have to be clear of all non-natural contaminants. It’s very difficult to remove this layer, which is why they are so problematic to recycle and why you’re always much better using a reusable coffee cup with some great organic coffee! They feel like cardboard on the outside, but on the inside is a shiny layer of plastic. This is true for single-use coffee cups too. Some cardboard, for example the type used for drinks cartons, is covered in a layer plastic or waxy material to make it waterproof. Plain old cardboard is made from wood pulp which is absolutely biodegradable. On the whole, cardboard is a highly biodegradable material. Is cardboard biodegradable or non-biodegradable? However, because cardboard has so many different uses and purposes it’s not all exactly the same, which makes the question a little more difficult.īy the end of this short post you’ll understand how biodegradable cardboard is and if this makes it an eco friendly material. You’re right to think that cardboard is highly recyclable as it comes from trees, but does this make cardboard biodegradable too? Can it even be composted?įor many, this may seem like a straightforward question. From packaging, toilet roll tubes and drinks cartons, cardboard is a material we’re all very familiar with in and around the home.