How to Recycle Paperboard
Cereal boxes, shoe boxes, tissue boxes, and other lightweight paperboard - the cardboard box itself, not the tissue paper or product inside it.
Quick answer
Yes, paperboard - cereal and cracker boxes, shoeboxes, and tissue boxes (the box itself, not the tissue inside) - is recyclable. Flatten it, remove any plastic liner bags, and put it in curbside paper or mixed recycling; keep it dry, since wet fiber gets rejected.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- 1Flatten boxes to save space
- 2Remove any plastic liner bags (like the inner bag in a cereal box)
- 3Keep dry and clean
- Curbside recycling
- Recycling centers
Recycling paperboard saves trees and landfill space, and it's part of the same paper stream as cardboard and office paper.
Is a tissue box the same as tissue paper?
No. The paperboard tissue box is recyclable like any other paperboard. The facial tissue inside it is not recyclable anywhere, used or not, because its fibers are too short and it's made with wet-strength additives that don't break down the same way as regular paper.
Recycling centers that accept Paperboard
RecycleFind lists recycling centers that accept paperboard. Open a listing for hours, contact info, and directions.