The COVID-19 pandemic changed consumers shopping habits, creating a boom for online retailers that hasn’t slowed down. Corrugated cardboard currently represents 80% of the packaging used for online orders, meaning the demand for cardboard is as high as it has ever been.
Recycled cardboard is used to make cereal boxes, paperboard, paper towels, writing paper, and of course, more cardboard boxes. It is important that you are doing your part to recycle it properly. Remember to keep boxes empty, flat and clean. Boxes with packing material can’t be sorted at the recycling facility, so packing materials such as Styrofoam, plastic bags and wrap must be removed in advance. Cardboard boxes also need to be broken down prior to placing them in your the recycling container. This will make the cardboard less likely to get stuck in your curbside bin, and will save valuable space in your bin or community drop-off container.
The Adams-Clermont Solid Waste District is tasked with preparing and implementing the Solid Waste Management Plan for Clermont and Adams Counties. The Solid Waste District is responsible for designating landfills with enough disposal capacity for waste generated in Adams and Clermont counties, providing enough recycling opportunities for 80% of the population, managing scrap tire disposal and illegal dumps, litter clean-up activities, recycling and litter prevention education, and household hazardous waste disposal.
Plastic bags do not go in curbside or drop-off recycling bins! Trash bags and shopping bags cannot be recycled at the facilities we send our recyclables to. When bags go to our recycling facilities, they can tangle on the sorting equipment and cause it to break down. Remove your recyclables from bags when you put them in the bin.
Although plastic shopping bags cannot be recycled through our curbside or drop-off recycling programs, recycling your bags is still possible through special programs. Try bringing your shopping bags to a grocery or department store for recycling. Many stores have plastic bag recycling bins just inside their entryways. Make sure your bags are clean and dry before dropping them off at a store recycling program.
Example of an in-store plastic bag recycling program
