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Commercial cardboard recycling
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Commercial cardboard collection
Cardboard packaging is one of the most recyclable materials businesses generate.
You can dispose of cardboard waste in your dry-mixed recycling bin. Still, businesses that generate large volumes of cardboard can save significantly with a dedicated commercial cardboard recycling collection.
On this page, our waste experts cover everything you need to know about commercial cardboard collections, including:
The benefits of business cardboard recycling
Our waste experts have summarised the key reasons businesses choose to arrange dedicated commercial cardboard collections:
Ensures compliance
UK waste regulations require businesses to follow the waste hierarchy. This means that cardboard should only be disposed of as general waste unless it cannot be prevented, reused, or recycled.
Reduces costs
Dedicated commercial cardboard collections are significantly cheaper than disposing of cardboard in mixed recycling or general business waste. Reduce overall commercial waste collection costs with a dedicated cardboard collection.
Waste rebates
Cardboard waste is a valuable resource for packaging manufacturers. Businesses that generate significant volumes of cardboard waste can negotiate waste rebates from their waste collection provider.
Conserves resources
Recycling cardboard reduces the demand for raw materials such as wood, thus conserving forests and biodiversity. Compared to producing cardboard from virgin pulp, recycled cardboard uses 80% less water and 25% less energy.
Reduces landfill waste
Commercial cardboard recycling helps minimise waste sent to landfills. The discarded cardboard in a landfill decomposes over time, producing methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.
Circular economy
Recycling cardboard is a key component of the circular economy. It reduces reliance on overexploited natural resources while redirecting financial resources across the recycling chain.
Commercial cardboard recycling services
Dedicated commercial cardboard recycling services are available in the UK’s major towns and cities.
Here’s how it works:
Cardboard bin
Your commercial waste provider will give you a dedicated cardboard commercial waste bin for storing cardboard between regular collections. The segregation of cardboard from other waste types helps eliminate cross-contamination, ensuring your cardboard is fully recyclable.
Scheduled collections
Your commercial waste collection provider will empty your cardboard bins according to an agreed-upon schedule. It’s important to ensure the provider’s waste lorry can access your commercial premises at the agreed upon times.
Cardboard recycling
Your waste provider will use their waste carrier licence to transport your cardboard waste to a cardboard manufacturing facility. See below for our breakdown of the biggest cardboard manufacturing facilities in the UK.
How to recycle commercial cardboard
Our business waste experts have helped thousands of businesses take advantage of a commercial cardboard recycling service. Here’s how our process works:
Enter your details
Use the form at the top of this page to provide some simple information about your commercial property location, cardboard collection frequencies, and required bin sizes.
Compare providers
Our business waste experts will collect waste collection quotes from the cardboard recycling providers in your area and present you with a range of options showing the price of each contract.
Start your service
If you proceed with one of our quotes, we’ll provide a commercial waste contract for you to review and sign. We’ll have your new bin delivered, and your service started at your convenience.
Cardboard collection methods
There are several different ways to arrange for the collection of cardboard from your business. The best solution depends on the volume of cardboard your business produces and the space you have available for storage.
Mixed recycling bin
Commercial dry mixed recycling collections accept most types of recyclable cardboard. For businesses that generate only small quantities of packaging waste, we recommend simply including cardboard in your mixed recycling service.
Stickered collections
Some providers will accept a flat-packed bundle of 10-15 cardboard boxes for small quantities of cardboard. This is ideal for businesses that need more space for a dedicated cardboard bin but want to take advantage of dedicated collections.
You can purchase a roll of stickers from your waste provider and affix one to the front of each cardboard bundle on collection day.
Dedicated bins
Dedicated cardboard bins are the best way to store cardboard waste separately from your general business waste and other recycling types.
The size of the commercial cardboard waste bin depends on the volume of cardboard waste your business generates. See the cardboard waste bin size guide below:
| Business | Weekly cardboard waste volume | Bin type | Bin volume (litres) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small office | < 0.1m3 | Standard wheelie bin | 120 - 240 |
| Typical shop, medium office | 0.1 - 0.5m3 | Commercial wheelie bin | 600 - 1100 |
| Warehouse, large shop, enterprises | >0.5m3 | Front-end loader | 4000 - 8000 |
Cardboard balers
Cardboard waste is bulky, and storing it before collection can take up a lot of space.
A cardboard baler compacts cardboard waste into a more manageable size, making it easier to move around and store.
Cardboard balers are common in the retail waste management, where shops manage the cardboard packaging from all their incoming stock deliveries.
How much is commercial cardboard collection?
The cost of commercial cardboard collections depends on a few key factors:
- Frequency of collection
- Size of the cardboard waste bin
- Availability of local waste providers
Our waste experts specialise in collecting bespoke waste quotes tailored to the needs of your business. Get quotes today by entering your details in the form at the top of this page.
Commercial cardboard recycling – FAQs
Our business waste experts answer the most frequently asked questions about cardboard waste businesses produce.
Where are the biggest cardboard recycling facilities in the UK?
Cardboard recycling typically occurs within Britain at cardboard manufacturing facilities (rather than being exported abroad like other waste types). Here are the locations of cardboard recycling facilities for the two biggest manufacturers:
- Smurfit Kappa – Smurfit Kappa is one of the largest paper-based packaging companies in the world, with a significant presence in the UK. Their facilities in Birmingham, Glasgow, and Nottingham are major hubs for cardboard recycling.
- DS Smith – DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions with recycling facilities across the UK, including London. Their Kemsley Mill in Kent is one of Europe’s largest paper recycling mills—DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions.
What happens after your cardboard is collected?
Cardboard waste is typically recycled into new packaging products at cardboard manufacturing facilities.
Visit our page on how materials are recycled for full details of the recycling process used for cardboard.
How much cardboard waste does the UK produce?
In 2021, 5.4 million tonnes of cardboard and paper packaging waste were generated in the UK. This is equivalent to the weight of 1,000 cruise ships or 900,000 adult elephants!
Source: UK Gov statistics
Here’s a link to our UK waste data insights for other interesting facts.
What types of cardboard can be recycled commercially?
Most cardboard products can be commercially recycled in the UK, including:
- Corrugated cardboard – Shipping boxes, document storage boxes, and large electronics packaging.
- Paperboard – Cereal boxes, notebook covers, small electronics packaging.
The following types of cardboard cannot be recycled:
- Contaminated cardboard – Wet cardboard, greasy pizza boxes, etc
- Waxed cardboard – Frequently used in coffee cups and other waterproof cardboard.
- Painted or dyed cardboard – The chemicals in the paint make this cardboard unrecyclable.
How often should my business have its cardboard collected?
Commercial waste disposal providers are flexible and can generally schedule collections as often as your company requires.
Small businesses typically use weekly or bi-weekly collections, while large enterprises with bespoke contracts can arrange for daily pick-ups.
Read our guide on commercial recycling for more information.