Just like wax coated cardboard won’t biodegrade in a landfill, it also won’t compost.Īgain, this is due to the wax coating being made of polyethylene plastic.
![does cardboard decompose does cardboard decompose](https://maesindopaperpackaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/image-42.png)
While most natural waxes are biodegradable, polyethylene wax is not biodegradable since it is made from plastic.īut since most recycling facilities don’t accept wax coated cardboard, you don’t have much of a choice other than to dispose of it another way. The downside to doing this is that it won’t biodegrade. If you can’t recycle cardboard, the preferred method of disposal is to throw it away with your regular trash.
DOES CARDBOARD DECOMPOSE HOW TO
How To Dispose Of Wax Coated Cardboard Correctly But you can always call and check to make sure. It is possible that some larger recycling programs do accept it, but it is very likely that your local recycling won’t. Most recycling programs, especially those that are run by your city, do not accept wax coated cardboard because they can’t remove the wax coating from the cardboard. Do All Recycling Programs Accept Wax Coated Cardboard? Most recycling centers can’t even remove the wax coating, and they have access to more machines and technology than you and I do. There is no evidence available that says that you can remove the wax coating from cardboard yourself. It’s actually really easy to tell if your cardboard is wax coated.Īll you have to do is scrape the cardboard with your fingernail to see if a waxy residue comes off. How Can I Tell If My Cardboard Is Wax Coated? That’s why a lot of your local recycling programs may not accept wax coated cardboard as a recyclable material. Some recycling facilities, especially smaller and more localized ones, may not have the means and funding to process materials any more than necessary. The more processing that has to be done, the more money and energy it costs to recycle those materials. Wax coated cardboard would have to undergo more processing in order to be recycled properly. There have been advances in the ability to recycle wax coated cardboard, but recycling it still isn’t available everywhere. The stickiness can clog up machines used to process and recycle the cardboard.īecause of this, the wax coating would need to be removed before you can recycle the cardboard, which most recycling facilities can’t do. The reason that wax coated cardboard can be difficult to recycle is that wax, even plastic-based polyethylene wax, has a sticky and glue-like texture. How Does The Wax Coating Affect Recyclability? It’s possible that some areas may accept it, but most likely recycling wax coated cardboard would be an option that was only available to produce suppliers and larger businesses. Well, recycling wax coated cardboard isn’t as easy as recycling regular cardboard or plastic, so unfortunately a lot of residential recycling programs don’t accept it.
![does cardboard decompose does cardboard decompose](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61ZhKegPKDL.jpg)
So therefore, wax coated cardboard should be recyclable too, right?
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Since wax coated cardboard is used to hold and ship produce and other products like juice boxes that often need to be refrigerated, the polyethylene wax coating helps to keep the cardboard from getting soggy.īut polyethylene is a type of plastic, and plastic and cardboard are both recyclable materials. Wax coated cardboard is a type of corrugated cardboard that is coated in polyethylene wax.
![does cardboard decompose does cardboard decompose](https://www.scienceabc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-boy-plays-recycling.-He-buries-plastic-disposable-dishes-and-biodegradable-dishesElizaveta-Galitckaias.jpg)
You Might Also Like… Is Wax Coated Cardboard Recyclable?īefore we answer this question, what exactly is wax coated cardboard?