Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – we all know the slogan but sometimes we forget the significance of the order of the terms.  According to the US EPA, the most environmentally sound way to manage waste is to first pursue source reduction by reusing. Recycling should be the second measure. Finally, as a last resort, disposal in landfills.

Too often we consider recyclables and recycled products to be the responsible choice when we should be asking if there is a reusable option.  At FrogBox we offer people a reusable alternative to the most recycled product on earth; corrugated (carboard) boxes.   In the United States, while a significant amount of cardboard ends up in landfills, most corrugated boxes are recycled, good right?  Well it’s better than having it all in landfills but the “good” ends there.  Here are some of the disadvantages associated with recycling corrugated boxes.

1. Energy and Water Use. The paper and pulp industry is the third largest consumer of energy, using 11.5% of all energy in the industrial sector, and the largest industrial consumer of water in the United States.
2. Limited Recyclability. Corrugated boxes can only be recycled five to seven times before the box’s cellulose fibers turn into sludge and can’t be made into new paper, at which point the box must be landfilled. Then virgin fibers must be added to the recycled pulp in order to build a viable box.
3. Production of GHG Emissions. Once the sludge from a corrugated box is landfilled, its decomposition produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas with high global warming potential. And, according to the EPA, about 20% of the corrugated collected for recycling in the United States is exported, mostly to China—which uses fuel and produces GHG emissions.
4. Water Pollution. In addition to the chemicals used to process recycled pulp, the sludge from a corrugated box can leach inks, coatings and fillers into the ground, endangering wildlife and aquatic habitats.

Doesn’t it take a lot of energy and resources to make durable, reusable products you ask?

YES, but let’s compare a reusable plastic FrogBox moving box to a cardboard box as an example.  In terms of energy and resources you can make five cardboard boxes to one plastic FrogBox.  If we generously suggest the cardboard boxes are used twice then you would only have to reuse the FrogBox 10 times to break even in terms of the environmental impact of manufacturing.  A single FrogBox can be reused 400-500 times doing the work of 200-250 cardboard boxes.

The disadvantages of recycling are not limited to paper products so next time you have a choice between a limited use, disposable product and a durable, high quality, reusable alternative remember the “Green” choice isn’t always the one that shouts “Recycled” or “Recyclable”.