Be a Part of Something Big by Recycling

“Recycle” is a word we use often at Carolina Fibre Corporation, but have you ever paused to consider what it actually means? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to recycle is “to make something new from something that has been used before.” This idea of recycling can also be pictured as circular process—items, when recycled properly, are encountered again and again, in different forms.
Carolina Fibre Corporation is one small part of a huge global supply chain of materials. Some of these materials, such as paper, sorted office fiber, hard white envelopes, old corrugated boxes, and tobacco boxes, are eventually shipped away to be recycled. The global connection comes when we think of our partners in China and India, where so much of our paperboard recycling occurs.
Carolina Fibre fills numerous orders for old cardboard or mixed paper, which is sought by India in particular. Only about 8% of their land contains trees, which means their ability to make their own paper is very limited. Instead, they import used paper goods and then recycle them, creating the products their citizens want and need. Many of these products are also sent back to America and other countries—this is where many of the items sold in our stores comes from. When we are done using these items, they re-enter the cycle, traveling back across the world for a second, or third, or seventh chance at a new life, and thus the cycle continues.
It’s truly incredible to think about the journey so much of our ordinary stationery, binders, loose-leaf paper, index cards, and packing boxes have taken! It’s also incredible to think about the role that we play in this global system.
If you’d like to be a part of this cycle, it’s easy! Simply do your best to recycle all boxes and paper products once you’re done with them. (The only exception is pizza boxes or those boxes with waxy surfaces—these can’t be recycled, unfortunately.) Each time you return an item to the global chain, it becomes a part of the circle once more. Who knows—you may even see that envelope or notebook again, in a new form!
If you want to make sure you’re doing all you can to be a part of this worldwide movement, make sure you’re at least recycling the following five items. They’re the most important materials to keep out of the landfill and in the circle!
Aluminum cans.
Aluminum can be recycled many, many times, saving precious energy along the way!
Plastic bottles.
Plastic lasts forever, and making new plastic out of recycled sources uses 2/3 less energy than making it from scratch.
Newspapers.
A whopping 33% of a city’s waste is made up of paper and paper products. Let’s get that number lower by recycling!
Corrugated cardboard.
Recycled cardboard is usually used to make—you guessed it—recycled cardboard!
Steel cans.
All steel products strive to contain 25% to 100% percent recycled content. Help manufacturers reach that goal by recycling your steel!
We hope this post helps you understand your place in the wonderful world of recycling, and helps you feel more connected to the circle that links us all. Happy recycling!