The Most Common Type of Business Waste is Cardboard. It is used everywhere in day-to-day operations, from shipping boxes and retail packaging to storage solutions in warehouses. Cardboard is widely recycled by most businesses, but have you ever wondered what happens once it leaves your site?
At Parry & Evans, We Collect and Process Approximately 7000 Tonnes of Waste Cardboard Each Month from businesses of all sizes across England and Wales. From here we carry out a careful process of sorting, grading, baling and reprocessing before it’s transformed into new packaging products.
In this blog, we walk you through the Full Cardboard Recycling Journey at Parry & Evans, and even explain how it can Generate Extra Revenue for Your Business.
Why Cardboard Recycling Matters for Businesses
Cardboard plays a very central role in the packaging, retail, warehousing, and manufacturing industries. By managing it responsibly, your business can easily cut costs and strengthen sustainability performance.
But recycling cardboard is not only important for the environment; it has very real business benefits too. These include:
📦 Reduces bulky waste disposal costs by keeping cardboard out of general waste bins.
✅ Meets compliance requirements under the UK’s Packaging Waste Regulations.
♻️ Supports sustainability goals and helps demonstrate progress to customers, investors, and regulators.
💷 Unlocks rebates when cardboard is kept clean, separated, and graded properly.
The Cardboard Recycling Process at Parry & Evans
We work with businesses across the UK, providing Total Waste Management Solutions that include separating and managing multiple waste streams, including cardboard.
🚛 Step 1 – Collection & Transport
Display reminders in bathrooms, kitchens, and communal spaces about recycling hand-wash bottles, aerosols, foil, and other focus items. Keep these reminders eye-catching and informative, letting your staff know the best recycling or disposal option for different items.
🔍 Step 2 – Quality Checks & Sorting
Not all cardboard is created equal. On arrival, our team ensures that each load of cardboard goes through a strict quality control process, using both automated systems and manual inspections.
This process aims to:
- Grade the material according to the EN 643 European Standard for paper and cardboard.
- Identify contamination, such as food residue, plastic film, or damp material.
- Separate residual paper from cardboard cores using our specialist machinery.
The cleaner and higher the grade of cardboard, the more valuable it is for recycling — and the more likely it is to generate a rebate for your business. Contaminated or low-grade cardboard, on the other hand, reduces its recyclability and may even compromise whole loads.
🧱 Step 3 – Baling & Preparation
Once sorted, the loose cardboard is compacted into high-density bales using our on-site bailer to create mill-sized bales, which are approximately 450kg once wired and tied.
The bales are then stacked and stored by grade, ready to be transported to paper mills.
By baling the cardboard, it ensures:
Efficiency – compacted bales reduce transport emissions and handling costs.
Consistency – mills require bales that meet strict quality standards.
Revenue – correctly graded and baled cardboard has a higher market value.
Thanks to the use of our advanced baling machinery, we can ensure that your waste cardboard is prepared in the best possible way to Maximise Both Recycling Potential and the Likelihood and Amount of Your Rebate.
🏭 Step 4 – Reprocessing at the Paper Mill
The paper mill is where the transformation into a new product begins. Once bales are delivered, the next steps of the cardboard recycling process continue by:
Pulping – the bales are mixed with water and broken down into fibres.
Cleaning & Screening – contaminants such as tape, staples, or plastic film are removed.
Refining & Drying – fibres are refined and pressed into sheets.
Manufacturing – the recycled pulp is used to create new cardboard products, such as packaging boxes, cartons, and cores.
Cardboard fibres can typically be recycled five to seven times before they become too short to reuse. After that, they can then be repurposed into other products such as tissue or paperboard, which is great as it ensures it is fully utilised before disposal is unavoidable.
How to Turn Waster Cardboard into Revenue?
One of the biggest benefits of recycling cardboard with Parry & Evans is that Your Waste Cardboard can Earn Your Business Money.
Here’s how meeting our quality grades can make cardboard recycling profitable:
📦 Grades Matter – the high-quality corrugated card is far more valuable than contaminated or low-grade materials.
🧼 Cleanliness Is Key – cardboard that is kept free of food waste, grease, or dampness retains its full value. We help you create safe storage places to protect the cleanliness and quality of your cardboard to maximise its rebate potential.
📈 Volume Adds Up – the more cardboard your business produces, the more profit you can achieve.
At Parry & Evans, we handle the entire grading and baling process for you. We’re also authorised to issue Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs) or Packaging Export Recovery Notes (PERNs) to ensure Full Compliance with UK Regulations while Maximising your Financial Return.
How Parry & Evans Make Commercial Cardboard Recycling Simple?
We have Over 820 Containers, More Than 30 Specialist Vehicles, and 2 Fully Equipped Recycling Facilities, to ensure that we have the capacity to manage cardboard recycling for businesses of all sizes, across the UK
Our services range from:
Small-Scale Collections – bi-weekly wheelie bin pick-ups for small businesses.
Mid-Sized Operations – regular eurobin or skip collections.
Large Producers – curtain slider trucks collecting up to 44 bales twice a week.
When we link up with new businesses, our initial process involves assessing your volume of waste, your site and your regulatory needs. We can then Create a Bespoke and Tailored Service to Best Suit Your Business.
Alongside collection and processing, we also provide guidance on storage, contamination prevention, and compliance documentation — making cardboard recycling seamless from start to finish.
The Value of Cardboard Recycling with Parry & Evans
Recycling cardboard is about more than just meeting legal requirements. It’s about Reducing Costs, Unlocking Hidden Revenue, and proving your Commitment To Sustainability.
By understanding what happens after collection, and understanding how you can ensure you keep your cardboard to the highest grade, you can see the real value in keeping your cardboard clean, separated, and ready for recycling.
With Parry & Evans, the process is simple, reliable, and profitable — helping you get the most from your waste while contributing to a greener future.
