How to Simplify the Process of Recycling Kraft Boxes?

Point to be noted: how different items are recycled and why some items are more difficult to recycle? Kraft paper material is generally considered a high tensile strength material that is produced using a “kraft” process.
Due to its tear-resistant qualities and high elasticity, kraft can sometimes be hard to recycle, but it doesn’t mean that it cannot be recycled. In this blog post, we are going to share essential information on how to simplify the process of recycling kraft boxes.
Why Recycling Kraft Boxes is a Suitable Option?
When it comes to packaging, there are so many applications for kraft paper material. It is not shocking to know that large volumes go to waste.
Manufacturing companies and distribution centers consume large amounts of kraft paper and divert it from the waste stream to recycling.
What are the Basics of the Recycling Process?
Recycling for different packaging materials varies, but kraft is normally recycled in the same manner as ordinary paper. Kraft boxes are recycled in 3 main steps that we are going to discuss in detail.
Sorting & Collection
The first step of recycling a custom-printed kraft box is to determine what the box was initially used for. Boxes that come for recycling may have additional things like poly-liners and wax coatings. Such additions increase their wet strength or make them more oil-resistant.
Some recycling service providers prefer to pick only lined kraft boxes as compared to unlined kraft boxes. In some cases, Kraft can be recycled along with corrugated cardboard material, but you need to check beforehand whether it’s possible or not.
Baling & Shipment
Once sorted and collected, certain brands choose to bale their kraft boxes for more budget-friendly shipment.
Milling
Once the kraft boxes reach to mill, they will be pulped and used as feedstock for new paper products. There are several stages involved in it, and the recycling process ends with the boxes being re-produced into something new.
Challenges of Recycling Kraft Packaging Boxes
Normally, all recyclable materials have challenges or troubles in the recycling process. There are two main areas where Kraft boxes face difficulties, and those are market rates and contamination. Let’s discuss further in detail.
Contamination
Contamination refers to the fact that there is an undesirable substance present within the chosen material. For example, when you want to recycle kraft packaging material, the contaminants can include dirt, grease, scraps of metal, tissues, and food waste etc.
Outthrows and prohibitive materials are two types of contamination classified in kraft box recycling. What are these?
Outthrows refer to contaminants that can be picked out physically during processing, whereas prohibitive materials are the opposite of outthrows. Such contaminants require special chemical processing to be eliminated, which might affect the quality and value of the final material.
Market Rates Fluctuation
When marketers are not willing to purchase Kraft packaging material after recycling, they ultimately will become a burden on the recycling companies. In the past or maybe in the present, the untainted Kraft box rates are equal to those of recycled.
It is because of the fact that recycling companies have strict rules against contamination. So, Kraft boxes that have higher levels of contamination are often riskier to work with.
Room for Improvement
The current market for kraft box packaging is growing rapidly, and there is still some room for improvement. The improved Kraft packaging material increases sales and possibilities of higher profit margins.
Before recycling kraft boxes, keep one thing in mind that kraft boxes with higher contamination are hard to recycle. Kraft material used in packing food, beverages, cement, and pharmaceuticals contains a high level of contamination. Therefore, either you skip them or follow strict recycling procedures to easily recycle them.