Why can't you recycle shiny card board?

Question

In parts of America the local recycleing departments give you a list of a varity of things that you can and can't recycle and one of those things is "shiny" or "glossy" card board (like ceral boxes and shoe boxes) and I was wondering why; is the coating plastic or something like that?

Answer 1

It's not a problem here in Spain, either. There are bins on every block for paper and cardboard (as well as containers for glass and plastics), and we are encouraged to to recycle all of it. It sounds to me like the powers that be in the U.S. are foot dragging, as usual.

Answer 2

There are 2 problems with this type of waste paper.

The shiny coating is a mixture of clay and PVAc (you know it as Elmer's Glue) or Styrene-butadiene (very similar).  

This coating is very tough, as you can imagine. The only way these can be broken down is with special equipment - either a Kneader or a Disperser.  Either piece of gear will run several million dollars; that's not including the equipment that is needed before and after this equipment.  

Only the new generation of recycling plants (those built after 1992) can handle this type of coating, and then only if the underlaying fiber is white.  

The second problem is the underlying fiber.  Shoe boxes, cereal boxes and the like are commonly referred as chipboard.  Chipboard is made from all of the unsorted papers that are left after the nice white papers are sorted out for premium recycled paper.  Plants that run this low grade fiber would quickly go out of business if they invested the millions needed for kneaders or dispersers.

There are few grades of waste paper that actually have plastic on them.  Most of them are food grade - milk cartons, ice cream, etc.

While I'm in the US, this procedure is standard for any recycling chain.  Just because you put it in a bin, don't assume it's being recycled into paper. Recycle mills compete with incinerators and insulation shredders for waste paper.

As for  foil, any modern recycle plant can handle small amounts of this - generally less than 10-15%.  No recycle paper plant can handle more than 5% wax paper.  This is generally burned.

Answer 3

Its not a problem in Australia- we recycle all. Even waxed board now i think. And we always could recycle thing like envelopes with windows.. and cereal boxes and chocolate wrappers, that are half foil.....

Ask at your recycling depot

Answer 4

The shine/gloss is caused by clay, which doesn't decompose in the recycling processes which are in common use.  (I was told that much by a paper buyer at a former employer's.  I speculate that the clay in the paper also gums up the paper shredders which they use to prepare the paper for recycling.)

Answer 5

Ok this is because recyclers are lazy and don't want to spend $ to get the right equipment. It's a doable process, but it's easier to say "we don't want that" then to hire people to remove it or to get a better machine to remove it. But it's all because of the coating, one cereal box coating and ruin an entire batch of recycled paper.

Answer 6

Well :  it is because Of American Recycling Assoication only

allows  certain items that are Proven Environmental Safe

with  Cal 5cent cash value Redemption also when they get

recycled to save Green Living and it will protect our Planet

Earth's Natural Wildlife Habbitat

Answer 7

Metals or plastics on the cardboard boxes.  Also the recyclers are too lasy to strip it off.