When waste materials go into a landfill, they don’t just disappear—at least not right away. Some of the items dumped in a landfill will remain there for years, decades, centuries or never decompose at all.
With billions of corrugated shipping boxes in use every day around the world, it’s understandable to be concerned about the environmental impact of this packaging. You might know that corrugated boxes are recyclable, but, with many corrugated boxes still ending up in landfills, you might wonder: Are corrugated boxes biodegradable?
The good news is that yes, corrugated boxes are biodegradable. In this article, we’ll take a look at what makes corrugated boxes a durable and eco-friendly packaging material. Plus, we’ll find out about Air Sea Containers’ selection of corrugated boxes for sale and our other eco-friendly packaging materials.
What Does Biodegradable Mean?
A biodegradable material is one that can be broken down by natural bacterial decomposition processes. Essentially, if it will begin to decompose if you leave it outside for a while, it’s biodegradable.
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Biodegradability is on a spectrum, with one end occupied by materials that break down easily and naturally and the other with materials that break down very slowly or not at all. Some common biodegradable goods include:
- Paper products
- Fruits and vegetables
- Meat
- Cotton fabric
- Wood
- Canvas
- Wool
Some other common materials will break down eventually over time, but they decompose much more slowly than is desirable. Plastic bottles, for example, are thought to take approximately 450 years to decompose fully. An aluminum can takes over 200 years, while a disposable diaper takes over 500 years.
Finally, some materials are almost completely non-biodegradable and will remain in the environment for thousands or even millions of years. These materials, including glass, styrofoam and tinfoil, are among the most concerning to environmental analysts. Fortunately, corrugated boxes are different; they decompose readily and don’t leave toxic residues behind.
Are Corrugated Boxes Biodegradable?
Like other paper products, corrugated boxes are made from wood pulp, which is a biodegradable substance. In an outdoor environment that’s at least mildly humid and in which typical outdoor bacteria are present, you can expect corrugated boxes to decompose thoroughly in approximately three months.
Check Out Our Assortment of Corrugated Boxes for SaleThe more light, moisture, heat and bacteria that corrugated board is exposed to, the faster it will decompose. Corrugated boards in a dark, oxygen-poor environment of a landfill may take years to decompose, although they will eventually break down. On the other hand, when a corrugated board is shredded, soaked in water and used as garden mulch, it will begin to decompose almost immediately and be completely gone within a few months.
That doesn’t mean your boxes will start decomposing while sitting in your warehouse. In a temperature-controlled warehouse that’s kept reasonably clean, corrugated shipping boxes will last for years without losing their structural integrity. In fact, Air Sea Containers’ custom corrugated shipping boxes are among the most eco-friendly packaging solutions available today.
Biodegradable Packaging from Air Sea Containers
Air Sea Containers offers a full range of eco-friendly packaging to our customers. We carefully select the best green packaging solutions that save your business money while protecting the environment. Let’s take a look.
First, our custom corrugated shipping boxes are extremely popular for shippers searching for a biodegradable packaging solution. Shippers can customize these boxes to their exact preferred dimensions, resulting in less wasted material, and a wide variety of styles and designs are available. These boxes can even be built to U.N. hazmat specifications for shipping hazardous materials.
Our biodegradable Opus Bio Air Pillows are also among our most popular packaging products. These air pillows are made from a groundbreaking biodegradable plastic material that breaks down in just 12-to-24 months in typical outdoor conditions. Even better, they produce none of the toxic residues some plastics leave behind after decomposition.
Finally, we also offer biodegradable packing peanuts made from an eco-friendly plant-based material. These packing peanuts aren’t just cost-effective and eco-friendly, but they also offer superior performance to Styrofoam peanuts. Unlike Styrofoam, they are resistant to static electricity, making them safe for use in shipping sensitive electronics.
If you’ve got more questions—like What are eco friendly packaging materials? How do they protect the environment? How can I implement them in a cost-effective manner?—Air Sea Containers’ packaging experts are happy to help. Call us at (866) 596-9448 for more information, or contact us online at any time.
