Refurbished And Recycled Cardboard

Is it possible to make cardboard stronger, lighter and using less material even if it is recycled? And if we could do this, more power to us, but could we make any money doing it, make a profit that is? I wonder if it is literally impossible to do this in the US and make any money at it, and new cardboard or recycled cardboard prices will fluctuate due to global economies and trade. Perhaps carbon trading and tree growing such as Potlach Corporation does in Oregon might help draw enough to actually make a profit. Let’s talk shall we

Is it possible? I am not sure these are insurmountable, and actually one think tank member who lives in South Carolina near forests, maybe his area is perfect for it, re-growing with fast growing type tree species – then getting this cardboard to manufacturing hubs near large sea ports. One think tank member noted that micro-fine rubber and micro-fine ground sawdust are already used in recycled material and this makes them a natural if the price is stable, and it should be if they have been used for quite a while in the recycling sector. If this makes the cardboard stronger and we can use less paper, we save on trees, and if it is lighter weight, even better. Important now due to all the same-day, next day deliveries Amazon vendor shippers for instance, going by air.

Indeed, I do agree with one think tank member that hybrid cardboard would be stronger even if we implemented it into the Virgin Cardboard, adding these materials during a recycling event would guarantee the increased strength perhaps for several generations of its reincarnation. The tear strength would be better indeed, and the rubber should help with humidity, very important for nations shipping from tropical weathered or monsoon weathered regions – India, China, South Asia, Etc., smart thinking there.

The Hybrid Cardboard concept makes a lot of sense, and whereas this whole exercise in re-redesigning seems like a simple engineering game, just like making mini-bridges out of toothpicks at MIT engineering department with second year engineering students – nevertheless – the implications of solving this problem are huge.

Now then, would such materials allow us to change the structure of the cardboard also? Instead of a rippled center with a sheet on both sides, could we eliminate one side, the inner side, or reduce the weight even more, like cutting holes in a wing rib made of aluminum?

The chemistry and process is technical sure, I get that, but it doesn’t seem difficult considering all the various strategies for dealing with recycling these days. Please think on this.