Cardboard Shredders

Cardboard Shredders

Cardboard shredders are machines specifically designed to condense used boxes and cartons. Because cardboard is such a widely used packaging material, recycling is necessary because it is so bulky and takes up much space. The shredded material is either recycled into new cardboard products, or used as packaging material in shipping applications. After the cardboard has been shred, it is condensed and becomes much easier to handle and transport. Besides recycling facilities which provide off-site shredding and prepare cardboard to form new products, shipping businesses, warehouses, packaging companies, restaurants, grocery stores, large offices and any other environment where cardboard is used in large quantities often own on-site cardboard shredders. This eliminates dumpster removal charges, and since the shredded material may be used for packaging delicate and breakable items, purchasing packing materials is no longer necessary. Shredding is a popular option when it comes to used cardboard products because it is bulky, difficult to cut up by hand and takes up much space even when the boxes have been broken down and flattened. Shredding reduces cardboard's size significantly, allowing it to compress into dense bails.

Cardboard is considered a paper product, and is constructed out of three layers, giving it the sturdy, strong properties necessary for handling heavy loads. A corrugated or wavy piece of cardboard is sandwiched between two flat, thicker pieces. They are often attached to each other by an adhesive of some kind. A cardboard shredder is a large, horizontally orientated industrial machine because cardboard boxes are usually quite large. It is designed for cardboard only, and although paper may be shred, the pieces are thick and therefore easy to reassemble-a problem when it comes to document and information security. Depending on the size of the cardboard shredding operation, cardboard shredders are either hand-fed or completely automated. Most produce strip cut shreds, while others provide cross cut shreds, which are cut both vertically and crosswise. Both cutting techniques are performed by sharp rotary blades that are able to destroy whole boxes with ease. The shreds are either baled and headed to recycling or used as packaging material. These cardboard shreds are ideal for providing soft filler material that keep fragile goods secure and padded during shipping, where transportation can be rough.