I do not live in an area that recycles cardboard, is it better for the enviroment to throw it away or burn it?

Question

Is filling up the landfills where the cardboard won't disentegrate better or worse than the smoke from burning the cardboard?

Answer 1

If you live in an area with either a Craig's List (www.craigslist.org) or Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) program, you can simply offer old cardboard boxes on those lists.  People are often happy to take boxes off your hands when they're moving.

If neither of those is available in your area, you should consider composting the boxes.  If that's not an option either, throwing them away is preferable to burning them at home.

Answer 2

Cardboard does "disintegrate".

It can be part of a compost program

Answer 3

If you live where there is no cardboard recycling, there is probably plentiful landfill space, which would be preferable to burning them yourself.

Answer 4

Check in the phone book and call a few places.  In Detroit (which is not exactly a recycling friendly city!!!) they pay $50 a ton for almost any kind of paper or cardboard.

Answer 5

Actually you can compost it