9x Benefits of a cardboard shredder

A cardboard shredder allows you to convert used cardboard or cardboard waste into cushioning packaging material. Making you own packaging from old cardboard boxes is both cost-free and environmentally friendly. Additionally, your business benefits from reduced waste hauling and packaging expenses.

A corrugated cardboard shredder is a popular recycling machine for many businesses worldwide, including online stores, sales warehouses, and companies that regularly send packages to customers or clients. Below, we have listed all the advantages of cardboard shredders for you.

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Table of contents:

1. Reduce costs on packaging and waste hauling
2. Free and sustainable packaging material
3. Reduce the amount of cardboard waste
4. Reduce CO2 emissions
5. Environmentally friendly alternative to bubble wrap and foil
6. Recyclable packaging from one material type
7. Produce custom packaging material
8. Cheaper alternative to a cardboard baling press
9. Compact solution
10. Disadvantages of a cardboard shredding machine

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Reduce costs on packaging and waste hauling

One of the main advantages of using a cardboard shredder is that the machine can be profitable for your company. The investment of the machine literally pays for itself relatively quickly.

On average, a cardboard perforator costs around 2,500 dollars for an entry-level table-top model. And a larger free-standing model costs around 5,000 dollars. And this is quite an investment for your company. But this investment pays for itself in the long run.

The time it takes to regain your investment, depends on a number of things:

1. The number of packages sent out weekly.
2. The amount of cardboard waste that is normally disposed of.
3. The amount of packaging material that is normally purchased, and can now be (fully) replaced by the perforated cardboard.

A cardboard shredder is a cost-effective machine with a fast ROI. It will reduce the costs of waste collection and buying new packaging materials. The more often you use your shredder, the faster the investment will pay off.

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Free and sustainable packaging material

Do you send and ship parcels and do you regularly have old or used cardboard material? Then a cardboard shredder is indispensable in your company.

With this machine, you give your cardboard waste a second life as environmentally friendly packaging material. And this material is completely free and therefore much cheaper than new packaging material.

This packaging or void-fill material is completely free and therefore much cheaper than new packaging material. Because cardboard is a natural product, it is also 100% environmentally friendly. Cardboard is made of wood fibers and the majority of new cardboard that is produced in the world consists of recycled waste paper.

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Reduce the amount of cardboard waste

Cardboard waste takes up valuable floor space. Especially when you have a lot of old cardboard boxes around in your facility. By processing the cardboard directly with a cardboard shredder, it can be immediately reused as packaging material by the shipping department.

By reusing cardboard, it is also not necessary to place a large waste container or dumpster for cardboard on your site. This also eliminates the costs of renting a container.

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Reduce CO2 emissions

Less cardboard waste that has to be recycled immediately means less CO2 emissions. It is not necessary for a waste collection company to haul the cardboard waste from your premises. This means less transportation by the recycling truck, which results in less CO2 emissions.

The percentage that you can reuse as packaging material depends on the quality of your cardboard waste. A cardboard shredder could theoretically eliminate your entire cardboard waste stream within your company. If you have contaminated cardboard waste, then this material cannot be used as packaging.

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Environmentally friendly alternative to bubble wrap and foil

A lot of packaging and void fill are made of plastic. For example bubble wrap, packaging peanuts, tempex foam blocks. Plastic has the advantage that it is a light en strong material, but the downside is that plastic can be difficult to recycle. A lot of unsorted plastics end up on landfills or are incinerated to extract their energy value.

Cardboard is a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. The perforated or shredded cardboard is a perfect material to protect products during shipment. Cardboard has similar features as plastic packaging material. It is protective, cushioning, and flexible. But cardboard is a heavier material, for large packages this can be detrimental to the weight.

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Recyclable packaging from one material type

Using multiple types of packaging materials makes recycling more difficult. A cardboard box with plastic peanuts and foil doesn’t really increase the chance of optimal recycling rates. It is more efficient to choose one type of material to protect and ship your products in.

In most cases, a product is shipped inside a corrugated cardboard box. It is therefore recommended to also use cardboard as filling or void-fill material. The most sustainable is of course to use shredded cardboard from your residual waste flows as filling material.

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Produce custom packaging material

On average, a cardboard shredder has an infeed width of about 16 inches or 40 centimeters. And most of these machines are equipped with an adjustable scale to set the working width. With this scale you can measure your cardboard to your desired width.

A cardboard shredder allows you to make customized packaging material that fits perfectly inside the cardboard box. By adjusting the working width of the infeed opening to the size of the box, you ensure that the packaging material fits exactly in the box. This ensures less waste.

The cardboard shredder automatically cuts off the excess part of the cardboard. This part can be re-perforated or shredded.

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Cheaper alternative to a cardboard baling press

Cardboard is a bulky and voluminous material, which can take up quite some valuable space. Companies with a lot of cardboard waste often wonder what to do with it. A way to decrease the volume of cardboard is by compacting the material with a cardboard baler.

This can be a vertical baler for indoor use. Or a horizontal pressing installation where the cardboard is pressed into a container.

The benefit of a baler or compactor is that the volume of the cardboard is reduced by compressing it into compact cardboard bales. And this, of course, saves floor space. In addition, the material can be sold to a recycling company.

The disadvantage of a baling machine is that the investment is relatively high. The initial average investment in a vertical cardboard baler is between $5,000 – $20,000.

An alternative is a cardboard shredder. The purchase value of a cardboard machine is many times lower than a baling press. And a cardboard shredder is an investment that almost always pays for itself in the long run. It is ultimately profitable because you reuse your cardboard waste as filling material and you reduce waste transportation costs.

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Compact solution

A free-standing cardboard shredder is fairly compact. It measures approximately 27,5 x 19 x 38 inches (700 x 480 x 970 millimeters) (l*w*h). This means that these machines are relatively compact and take up little space in your company. Especially compared to a much bulkier cardboard baling machine.

In addition, cardboard shredders are mostly equipped with sturdy castors, so you can move the device around at your facility.

There are also small-sized table models that can be lifted by one person. A cardboard shredder offers the convenience that the device can be easily moved around or stored away when the machine is not needed. This is less easy with a baler or large waste container.

Tip: Read the customer review from AirPlantShop.com about their HSM cardboard shredder. If you are also looking for a cardboard shredder from HSM , this article “ProfiPack C400 vs. P425” might be helpful for you.

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7x Disadvantages of a cardboard shredding machine

A cardboard shredder offers many advantages. But of course, there are always things to keep in mind:

• Dust – When shredding or perforating cardboard, dust is also created. You can solve this by connecting a dust extraction kit to the cardboard shredder. But it is good to know that not all cardboard shredders come with this feature. So when you want to keep your work area dust-free, opt for a perforator that features an input for a dust extraction system.
• Netting or strips – Cardboard shredders can only shred or perforate cardboard. You should therefore determine in advance whether you want to use cardboard mats as padding material or small strips or chips of cardboard. Do you want both variants? Then you need to purchase two carton shredders.
• Cardboard is heavier than plastic – Cardboard is a beautiful, natural and durable packaging material. But the only drawback is that cardboard is heavier than most packaging material or padding made of plastic. Using only cardboard as packaging material in your shipment boxes will increase the weight, which can result in higher transport costs.
• Less suitable for scratch-sensitive products – Cardboard protects your products during transport. But cardboard may be less suitable for scratch-sensitive products. Think, for example, of products with a glossy finish. Or products where dust particles can accumulate in easily. Used cardboard can contain a staple or other metal piece that can also cause scratches.
• Noise during operation – Cardboard shredders are powerful machines that make produce noise during operation, on average 60 dB to 70 dB. This can be experienced as disruptive in some departments in your company.
• Three-phase power – Professional cardboard shredders with a powerful motor often require three-phase power supply. This means that you cannot connect the shredder to a standard 1-phase socket. Some high-capacity cardboard shredders are equipped with an inverter, but this reduces the power of the machine.
• Maintenance – Like any machine, a cardboard shredder needs regular maintenance. The most important thing is that the cutting rollers of the shredder are regularly lubricated with a lubricant and that the machine is kept free of dust.

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