The How To, What and Not To of Cardboard Shredding

Cardboard perforators have fast become an essential item used by many businesses for shipping products. Using cardboard perforators brings many benefits with the most obvious being the upcycling of cardboard ( new and used ) into eco-friendly, biodegradable and recyclable packaging and void fill.

With cardboard being the global packaging material of choice, it’s no surprise there is an abundance of used cardboard boxes available to upcycle into an effective and sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. In fact, with increasing awareness in relation to our sensitive environment and the consequences of using plastic packaging, a broader market awareness of more sustainable packaging alternatives is rapidly developing.

With ever increasing social and environmental responsibility, R&D surrounding sustainable packaging has been fast tracked with products now available including:

Cardboard Perforators - Extends cardboards life cycle and diverts from land fill prior to recycling.

Eco-Friendly Packing Tapes – Paper based, recyclable and biodegradable options available.

Buckle Less Strapping Machines - Negates the need for buckles to tension strapping.

Cardboard perforators enable business to quickly create eco-friendly and sustainable packaging that can be custom perforated to desired sizes for the most professional presentation.

In a commercial context, many businesses save money when using a cardboard perforator as purchases of bubble wrap and other similar packaging are reduced or eliminated. In addition, cardboard removal costs are significantly reduced or even eliminated, instead with this cardboard being used to protect shipments of goods.

Another benefit of using cardboard perforators not always discussed, is the strong message passively conveyed to recipients receiving your products. Due to thoughtful, eco-friendly perforated cardboard packaging initiatives, recipients view products packaged this way and the supplier in a very positive light.

Can stapled cardboard be fed into the perforator? There are more reasons to not feed stapled cardboard into the perforator and therefore it is strongly recommended trimming off all staples from the cardboard prior to feeding for the following reasons:

Copper and metal staples once perforated through will often become sharp. With the well-being of your users and recipients in mind, it is not recommended to feed stapled cardboard into the perforator.
Although the trimmer and separation unit is of robust design and operates very reliably for the purpose of trimming cardboard to a particular width, if staples come into contact with this area of the machine, this can cause damage due to user error.
While the hardened perforation discs easily slice through staples without damaging them, due to perforators open sided structure, again feeding stapled cardboard is not recommended.

Can cardboard with packaging tape be fed into the perforator? Perforating cardboard with clear packing tape attached is ok to feed through, however there are some less popular tapes that are not recommended to perforate including:

Cross filament reinforced packaging tape contains string like filaments which can accumulate around the perforating discs and will cause congestion to the trimmer section and exit area.
Gaffers tape contains heavy cotton cloth which can obstruct and bind around the perforating discs causing congestion to the trimmer section and exit area.
PVC Vinyl tape can easily accumulate around the perforating discs, causing congestion to the trimmer section and exit area. Due to the highly stretchable characteristics of PVC Vinyl tape, perforation is not likely and build up between the perforating discs will eventually jam the cardboard perforator and potentially cause damage.

In reality, accidental feeding the occasional staple or tape is unlikely to cause operational problems, however repeated feeding of these items is likely to cause future issues.