Can Sydney’s cardboard boxes help our future?

by BoxesForBusiness | Mar 18, 2021 | Environment, New Cardboard Boxes, Second Hand Boxes

Can Sydney’s cardboard boxes help our future?

Multitudes of cardboard boxes are used in Sydney every day, so isn’t it worth considering their environmental impact? After all . . .

Future generations are dependent on us

These days we hear common catch phrases like climate change, global warming, greenhouse gas and carbon footprint. Our impact upon the environment is regularly on the mainstream agenda, including the media, the science world, environmental organisations, and even government policies.

Is it possible that how we treat the environment now, could have an impact on future generations?

Is it also possible that some of the changes going on in Sydney and around the earth today might have negative consequences within our own lifetime?

What can we do?

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

— Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax

We’re happy to say that there are small and large things that can be done at both individual and corporate levels. Some suggestions for contributing to a healthy earth are quite simple and easy enough for any of us to do – which is good to know, isn’t it?

For example,

SAVE ENERGY by using energy efficient lights or switching off appliances when they’re not in use.
TRAVEL SMARTER by using more public transport or car pooling.
CONSERVE WATER by using water efficient appliances or fixtures such as shower heads that reduce water consumption.
REDUCE WASTE by buying reused or recycled.

There are three easy ways to cut down our waste and together they can make a big difference to the amount that ends up in landfill, as well as saving energy and other valuable resources. All important for the environment, right?

These 3 methods are often referred to as the Three R’s

REDUCE – Produce less waste by being more careful about what we buy or use.
REUSE – Use the same item more than once instead of throwing it out.
RECYCLE – Send suitable waste products to where they’ll be converted into material that can be used again.

Cardboard boxes can help

In line with these recommendations, cardboard boxes have environmental benefits which can help you feel great about using them – good news in Sydney where box consumption is high. To make your job easier there’s plenty to choose from at our online shop.

Cardboard boxes are . . .

Reusable which means any energy or resources that’d be required to make a new cardboard box is eliminated and the boxes don’t go straight into landfill.
Recyclable and are often made using recycled content, which means reduced energy and water consumption, as well as less waste from box manufacture.
Originate from trees which are renewable resources. If care is taken the trees can be replenished.

Recycling and reusing are also recommended by the Australian government,

“Buying or using products which have either been used before or are made up of recycled materials keeps valuable materials out of landfill. It also reduces the need to manufacture new materials, meaning less energy and water is consumed.”

https://yourenergysavings.gov.au/

Make the earth a better place

Sydney is only one very small part of the world, but if we all take responsibility for the patch we’re in, together we can make a difference.

Just imagine, if we buy new cardboard boxes made from trees or better still from recycled material, or if we buy second hand boxes, we’re actually contributing to a healthier earth – and that’s an awesome feeling. Of course, cardboard boxes aren’t going to solve all our environmental problems, but combined with other measures, such as those mentioned, we can be part of the solution. We can all help make the earth a better place, not only for ourselves, but also for future generations – wouldn’t that be rewarding?

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Why 100’s of industries use pallet pads to increase efficiency & save money

by BoxesForBusiness | Mar 18, 2021 | Environment, New Cardboard Boxes, Packaging Supplies

pallet pads | Why 100’s of industries use pallet pads to increase efficiency & save money

100% Recyclable Pallet Pads

Cardboard pallet pads are usually made from recycled cardboard; they’re lightweight and are themselves 100% recyclable which means the environment can breathe a sigh of relief. Pallet pads can also be known as pallet liners or cardboard pallet sheets.

Benefits 100’s of industries

Pallet pads are used in many different industries including printing, signage, paints, healthcare and lots more. In fact, just about anyone or any business with goods to pack or stack can benefit from using pallet pads.

Would you like to know how pallet pads help?

Pallet pads are normally used to cover the bottom of pallets to protect products from damage caused by things like splinters, nails, moisture and grime, which means your products can stay in good condition. Pallet pads also help keep products clean and free from dust so they’ll look just as good as when they were packed.

Pallet pads are frequently used for separating products into different layers for more efficient distribution, which ultimately means cost savings. And using pallet pads between layers can also help give the pallet extra stability and prevent uneven stacking, which helps avoid tumbles and increases safety during storage and transit.

When placed on the top of pallets of goods, pallet pads can help deter theft as well as provide protection when pallets are being stacked on top of one another, which means you save money on both fronts.

Pallet pads made from corrugated cardboard can even be used as general packaging by folding the cardboard along the corrugation lines and then folding around your products. It’s a simple way of protecting your goods and you can fold the cardboard to suit your need, which means they’re suitable for more than just one type of product.

Overall, cardboard pallet pads provide a cost effective and convenient means for many businesses and industries to protect their products, be more efficient and to save money while they’re at it. All helpful to a successful business – right?

Where can you get pallet pads?

At Boxes For Business in Sydney we regularly supply cardboard pallet pads to a range of different businesses, and the good thing is we usually have them in stock. Our pallet pads come on pallets of 500 and many companies buy multiple pallets of pallet pads at a time to take advantage of the bulk savings, but you’re welcome to buy a part pallet if you don’t need that many. Next time you need pallet pads, click this link for easy online ordering.

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efficiency level conceptual meter indicate hundred percent

Austalian notes and coins on a money tin

1120x1120x3mm-Pallet-Pad - 1120x1120x3mm-Pallet-Pad-on-pallet

How cardboard boxes are made

by BoxesForBusiness | Mar 16, 2020 | Environment, New Cardboard Boxes

How cardboard boxes are made

Made from renewable resources & easy to recycle

Making corrugated cardboard boxes involves a number of processes, which can be quite interesting. Would you like to learn some of the basics?

Trees into Kraft paper

One of the first steps is that trees have to be converted into Kraft paper. The most common trees used for this process are pine, spruce, fir and silver birch. These kinds of trees have long fibres, which gives the Kraft paper a high tear, split and burst resistance – which are all good qualities for stronger paper, aren’t they?

Trees such as these above are natural and renewable resources, which means they can be replenished over time. Responsible management involves planting new trees when existing trees are harvested, and that means less harm to the environment, doesn’t it?

The look and colour of Kraft paper can depend on the trees it’s made from. It can vary from light to dark brown and even a yellowish colour at times.

The process of making Kraft paper involves pulping wood chips, which starts with the tree trunks being stripped of bark and torn into small chips. These chips are then placed in a large high pressure tank and cooked in a solution of mainly alkaline based chemicals. The wood chips convert to fibres after the pressure is released. Quite amazing, don’t you think?

In trees there’s a glue like substance called lignin which binds the individual fibres of the tree trunk together. This lignin is no good for making paper, so it needs to be removed.

The alkaline solutions used in cooking help dissolve the lignin and increase the strength of the pulp. This is often referred to as the sulphate process and is where the name Kraft comes from, as it’s the Swedish word for ‘strength’.

After various other steps, the fibres are made into heavy rolls of Kraft paper ready to be made into cardboard.

Kraft paper into corrugated cardboard

Corrugated cardboard usually has at least three layers – an inner and an outer liner with a wavy corrugated section sandwiched in between. This corrugated section helps give the cardboard its strength and impact protection, which is important when packing, isn’t it? The corrugating process occurs on machines called corrugators which can be as large as football fields. Picture that!

Some rolls of Kraft paper can be used for the corrugating medium in between, and other rolls can be used for the inner and outer lining. In the corrugator the various rolls of paper are crimped and glued together to form the corrugated cardboard which is ready to be made into new cardboard boxes, some of which you can buy here.

Corrugated cardboard into boxes

After the Kraft paper has been converted into corrugated cardboard a slitter scorer then scores and cuts the continuous sheets of cardboard into large box blanks ready to go to other machines for further processing, which commonly includes trimming, gluing and printing.

For instance, various machines fold the boxes along the scored lines and then glue or stitch (staple) the blanks in the appropriate places. The sections are folded together to form the finished product which is a corrugated cardboard box, something you’ve probably used many times before, right?

The finished flat boxes are then banded together and stacked ready for shipping. You can easily buy new cardboard boxes on our site.

Recycling

We’re pleased to say that environmentally friendly processes, such as recycling, have continued to grow in importance and it’s very common these days that instead of virgin fibres from trees being used in the manufacture of cardboard, that most of the content of cardboard is recycled material – which seems like a step in the right direction, wouldn’t you say?

In Australia most, if not all, new cardboard boxes have a percentage of recycled cardboard in them. Even with boxes predominantly made from virgin Kraft board, the corrugation in between the liners is usually made of recycled board.

Today many boxes are made from 100% recycled material, sourced from existing cardboard, such as second hand boxes, and also from other second hand paper products. Instead of tree fibres, the recycled materials are the starting point and they go through processes such as de-inking and removal of other impurities and then continue through many of the same processes that virgin Kraft does when it’s made into cardboard boxes.

Recycled board is usually distinguishable by the minor imperfections in its appearance when compared with virgin Kraft.

One of the qualities that makes cardboard so simple and environmentally effective to recycle is that the fibre has already been processed. According to Planet Ark, using recycled material to make cardboard boxes means that,

“…large amounts of water (up to 99% less) and energy (up to 50% less)” are saved

In addition, there are also less by products and wastes associated with recycled cardboard, which also seems great for the environment, doesn’t it?

A win for the environment

Another incentive for manufacturers to make cardboard from recycled material is that it’s much cheaper to make. Recycled material doesn’t have to be cooked or washed to have the lignin removed and this means reduced costs.

As a result of both its ease of recycling and the cost savings involved, it’s likely that the use of recycled material to make cardboard boxes is only going to continue to grow in the future – and isn’t that a tremendous win for the environment?

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Corrugated cardboard into cardboard boxes

Where do second hand boxes come from?

by BoxesForBusiness | Mar 9, 2020 | Environment, Second Hand Boxes

Where do second hand boxes come from?

We often get asked this question as many people aren’t familiar with the business of second hand boxes. Fortunately, we’re experts in the field having been involved with second hand boxes since 1992 and we’re happy to give a brief overview of the process to help satisfy that curiosity. Would that be of any interest?

Re-use is one of the best ways to help the environment as it reduces waste and conserves energy, water, and other resources that’d be required to make new cardboard boxes. You can play a part in helping the environment whenever you buy second hand boxes.

These days many businesses are becoming more aware of the benefits of reuse and are looking for ways to dispose of their waste in an environmentally responsible manner.

At Boxes For Business, we proudly help businesses solve this problem by providing a tailored service for collection of good reusable boxes, and where agreed, businesses can also deliver their good used cardboard boxes to our warehouse for processing.

Why do businesses have excess boxes?

This can be for a variety of reasons, such as where businesses import products that come in cardboard boxes. Once their products are unpacked they have to dispose of the leftover boxes, knowing it’s best not to throw them into general waste where they’ll just end up in landfill. Other times, companies have production lines where various items are unpacked along the way. Often these items come in cardboard boxes and once again the business has to dispose of these after they’ve finished with them.

On occasion, a business’s operations may change leaving them with the problem of obsolete boxes that are no longer suitable. Human error also comes into play as sometimes people order the wrong quantity or size or even the wrong print, and they then have to organise to dispose of the boxes they can’t use. Our service helps alleviate some of the stress that occurs in such circumstances. Wouldn’t that be good?

We come across these kinds of scenarios on a regular basis and we’re able to provide a responsible solution, which regularly makes people happy. We usually deal in bulk boxes, which are stacked on pallets or sometimes stored in bins or cages. We encourage businesses as much as possible to separate different kinds of boxes from one another.

Perhaps you’ve got a business that needs to dispose of bulk cardboard boxes? Contact us to discuss whether we can offer a handy solution.

What do we do with the boxes we receive?

We carefully inspect all our second hand boxes to sort out the good from the bad, and to make sure all the boxes are organised by size, so that like boxes are kept together.

Good reusable boxes are stacked neatly onto pallets and stored in our warehouse ready for sale. Our aim is to supply quality second hand boxes to all our clients. Check out our online shop for second hand boxes.

Any boxes that are damaged or aren’t suitable for reuse are either baled or stacked onto pallets and taken to be recycled where the process starts all over again.