Cardboard is the single largest component of municipal solid waste around the world, thus it becomes necessary for everyone to involve themselves in recycling cardboard. Over 85% of all products that are sold in the United States are packed in cardboard. (

What is corrugated cardboard? Corrugated cardboard is a stiff, strong, and light-weight material made up of three layers of brown kraft paper. Layers of kraft paper are crimped and glued to form corrugated cardboard, which is then cut, printed, folded, and glued to make boxes.

Pine Tree Forest Seedlings to replant forest Fast-growing pine trees provide the primary raw material used to make corrugated cardboard. The largest packaging companies own thousands of acres of land where trees are matured, harvested, and replaced with seedlings. Trees For the Future Where does the cardboard come from?

Making cardboard Break down wood chips into fibrous pulp. After pulping and other processing, the fibers are sent directly to the paper machine where they are formed, pressed, dried, and rolled into the wide, heavy rolls of kraft paper sent to corrugating plants to be made into cardboard.

At the corrugating plant, only a few other raw materials are needed to make a finished box. Corn starch glue is used to bond the corrugated medium to the liner sheets. Because so much glue is used, rail cars or large tanker trucks deliver it as a dry powder that will be stored in huge silos at the corrugating plant until it is needed

At the processing plant, huge machines are used to create the corrugated cardboard.

After the cardboard is created… 85% of all products in the U.S. are packaged in cardboard. ( Let’s identify items that are packaged in cardboard. Pizza….

million tons of corrugated cardboard is throw-away annually in the U.S.. Fortunately, 77% of this cardboard is recycled. EPA's Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2008 Facts and Figures EPA's Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2008 Facts and Figures

Some types of cardboard can't be recycled Paper that can't be recycled as normal "mixed paper" includes: food contaminated paper, waxed paper, waxed cardboard milk & juice containers, oil soaked paper, carbon paper, sanitary products or tissues, thermal fax paper, stickers and plastic laminated paper such as fast food wrappers, juice boxes, and pet food bags. Paper with any sort of contamination or plastic layers can't be recycled. Plastic laminated paper is bad for recycling plants; such paper should be clearly marked

Non-recyclables made into art Eco Factor: World’s biggest sculpture made from recycled materials. Students at the Granada’s Architectural College in Southern Spain have made it to the Guinness Book of World Record by creating the world’s biggest sculpture from recycled milk cartons. The student team utilized over 50,000 recycled milk cartons to design the castle.

Mark Langan is an artist who uses corrugated cardboard to create relief sculptures.

Where does Mark get his cardboard?

Mark says… Corrugated board is a material that can be easily recycled over and over again. I see it as an endless supply source that I purge from my trash and neighborhood, reusing it towards my creations.

Mark Langan uses an additive process to create his sculptures. Langan does not use any computer rendering to visualize a project: he sketches it the old- fashioned way, by drawing it out on a piece of paper. Each piece is built through a process of cutting, layering, and sealing with a non-toxic glue.

Mark creates pulp from the cardboard by first shredding the cardboard. Then he adds glue and water and blends the materials to create a pulp putty. As seen above Mark uses the pulp to add contrast, variety, and emphasis. Notice the face

Is making art out of cardboard the best way to recycle? NO But it is a good way to promote recycling and reusing! Let’s see how Mark Langan promotes recycling and reusing through his art. It would be naïve’ for him to claim that he’s making a huge dent in reducing waste material going into landfills but as he states, “It is something rather than nothing.”

Marks sincere hope that his art displayed on his website contributes to the recycling movement by inspiring others to ask of themselves, “What can I do to help?”

If you live in a community where there is less importance given to recycling then what you can do is talk to the local supermarket and department stores and they can help you out with recycling your cardboard boxes together with their stuff.

Questions to answer about Mark Langan 1. What type of process does Mark Langan use to create his sculptures, circle one? additive or subtractive 2. What materials does Mark use in his artworks and where does he get them? 3. What is Mark trying to communicate with his art? 4. Name two paper products that can’t be recycled at recycling centers.

5.What are the similarities and differences between these two artworks? 6. What is the artist trying to communicate in each?

Communicating through art Mark uses text/words so the viewer knows what his message is. Creating art with text/word images can be lots of fun.