Is Wax Cardboard Recyclable?
Is Wax Cardboard Recyclable?
Contrary to popular belief, wax-coated cardboard is very much recyclable. When sorted, baled, and shipped by the truckload, it even has modest commodity value.
What often trips businesses up is that wax cardboard is NOT recyclable with regular cardboard, and it needs to be segregated as its own grade. Paper mills treat wax-coated boxes as a contaminant. A few waxed boxes mixed into your standard cardboard bales can get a load downgraded, charged back or rejected.
That doesn’t mean waxed boxes have to go to the landfill. If your business receives produce, meat, seafood or other cold-chain products, this guide explains how to identify waxed cardboard, why recyclers won’t take it with your standard cardboard, and what to do with it instead.
What is wax cardboard?
Wax cardboard is corrugated board treated with paraffin wax so it holds up against water, ice and humidity. Regular cardboard turns soft and collapses when wet. Waxed boxes stay strong in coolers and ice-packed shipments.
You’ll most often find it in:
- Fresh produce: broccoli, lettuce, leafy greens and other iced or hydro-cooled crops
- Meat and poultry: boxes for fresh cuts and whole birds
- Seafood: iced fish and shellfish shipments
- Floral: cut flowers shipped in water
The wax is applied in different ways. Curtain-coated boxes have wax on the surface. Impregnated or cascaded boxes have wax soaked all the way through the board. Both cause the same problem at the paper mill.
Total wax usage on corrugated fell 52.8% between 2002 and 2021, as recyclable coatings took its place. Fibre Box Association
Why recyclers won’t take waxed boxes in the same shipment as non-wax cardboard
Cardboard is recycled by soaking it in water to break the fibers back into pulp. Wax resists that process. It doesn’t break down, it leaves sticky spots in new paper, and it gums up mill equipment. That’s why mills treat it as a contaminant.
The industry’s grading standards reflect this. Under the ReMA (formerly ISRI) specification for old corrugated containers, OCC #11, prohibitive materials such as wax-coated papers may not exceed 1% of a bale. AICC Higher-value grades like double-sorted corrugated must be sorted free of wax entirely. ISRI
For a business, that has real costs:
- Lower prices: bales with wax may be downgraded to a cheaper grade.
- Chargebacks and rejections: a mill can reject a whole load, leaving you to pay freight and disposal.
- Lost rebates: a recycler may stop paying for your cardboard if contamination keeps showing up.
How to tell if a box is waxed
Train receiving and back-of-house staff on these quick checks:
- Scratch test. Run a fingernail across the box. If it leaves a white, waxy line or flakes come off, it’s waxed.
- Look and feel. Waxed boxes look glossy or shiny and feel slick or greasy.
- Water test. Put a few drops of water on the surface. On waxed board it beads up instead of soaking in.
- Check the markings. Boxes made with certified recyclable coatings often carry a recyclable symbol or wording from the manufacturer. Untreated, glossy cold-chain boxes without that marking are most likely waxed.
When in doubt, keep the box out of the cardboard baler. One questionable box is cheaper to set aside than a rejected bale.
How to Recycle Wax Cardboard
The good news is that wax cardboard is recyclable. It just has to be segregated and baled on its own. Here’s what to do:
- Segregate it and bale it separately. Make sure all of your wax cardboard is separated from any non-wax cardboard, and bale it on its own.
- Identify it properly. There are many outlets for wax cardboard. However, the end-use is different than non-waxed cardboard, so it needs to be shipped as a separate grade. Take lots of photos so that your recycler can make sure it goes to the proper outlet.
- Ship it to a recycler who buys wax cardboard. Green Planet 21 buys wax cardboard across California. Find a recycler near you who can take it off your hands and guarantee it’s recycled.
Best practices for businesses
- Set up a separate container for waxed boxes at receiving, clearly labeled with photos.
- Train staff on the scratch test, and include it in onboarding for receiving and stocking roles.
- Find a recycler that will take wax cardboard as its own stream. Wax cardboard never needs to be landfilled. If you separate and bale it, you should be able to find a recycler who will pick it up instead.
Wax cardboard FAQ
Is wax cardboard recyclable? Yes, absolutely! You just need to separate it from your regular cardboard and ship it on its own.
Can I put waxed boxes in my cardboard baler? No. Even a small amount of wax can push a bale over the 1% prohibitive limit and lead to a downgrade or rejection. Instead, you should bale the wax cardboard on its own to ship out separately.
Is wax cardboard compostable? Sometimes. Some commercial composters accept it, but many don’t. Check with your local facility.
How do I know if a box is waxed or just coated? Scratch it. Wax leaves a white line or flakes. Certified recyclable coatings usually carry a recyclable marking from the box maker.
What industries generate the most wax cardboard? Grocery, produce distribution, meat and poultry processing, seafood, restaurants and floral businesses.
Get more value from your cardboard
Green Planet 21 helps businesses across California, Nevada and Washington recycle wax cardboard. We help companies get the most out of their recyclables, including cardboard, paper, plastics, metals, organic waste, and more.
Contact Green Planet 21 to set up a cardboard recycling program.
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