what to do with old apple boxes

Is It Okay to Throw Away Apple Boxes?

This is actually a tricky question to answer. This is because people see apple boxes as different things. Some will see them as boxes to quite literally carry apples. Some will see them as product packaging for Apple devices.

Both Apple product boxes and boxes that hold apples shouldn't be thrown away. The boxes that Apple products come in can be recycled as they're cardboard, but the plastic inside is PVC and can't be recycled. Apple boxes are recyclable and can be reused or pulped and turned into paper.

We are going to try and cover these two completely different products on this page. This way, no matter how you ended up here, you will get the answers that you need!

Apple Boxes

Let's start off by talking about boxes for apples. It is worth noting that there is a camera device known as an apple box. These are made from wood, so the same advice that we give you here will apply to them.

If you head to your local supermarket, the chances are pretty high that they will have stacks of apple boxes. Many of them will allow you to take them home for free. However, eventually, you are going to need to dispose of them.

Luckily for you, most apple boxes are going to be made of cardboard. This means that you can recycle them easily. In fact, this is one of those products that you can often leave by the side of the curb for recycling. Although, you will need to make sure that the cardboard doesn't get wet otherwise they become unrecyclable and have to be disposed of…or left for days and days to dry out properly.

Throwing Away Apple Boxes

Some apple boxes are made of wood. These are also recyclable. However, you will likely have to go to your local recycling center if you want to recycle those. It is unlikely that they will be picked up in your local garbage collection.

Since all boxes for apples are incredibly recyclable, you have absolutely no excuse not to be doing it!

Boxes for Apple Products

Now we can move onto talking about those boxes that came loaded with your fancy new device.

It is no secret that Apple makes some of the best product packaging on the market. They are sturdy. They are tough. They last a long time.

In fact, these boxes are so tough that we have actually seen people use them as product planters. This means that they can last a long time with both soil and water in them. Of course, we are not here to discuss how tough these boxes are. We are here to discuss whether they are actually recyclable.

Now, Apple product boxes may be nice and tough, but they are still just cardboard. This means that they can be recycled with your normal cardboard. It is likely that recycling crews will pick this up from the side of the road, so it won't be too hard to recycle it. Alternatively, you can go to a recycling center or bank and deposit the card that way.

Sadly, any plastic packaging inside the box will not be recyclable. This is because most of it will be made from PVC.

While PVC is a plastic, it is plastic that has been overloaded with chemicals. As a result, it cannot be put into recycling. It is too tough to separate the plastic from the chemicals. As a result, you will have no choice but to throw it into the garbage.

What Happens When You Recycle Wood Apple Boxes

If you have wooden apple boxes, then we suggest that you break them up before recycling them. if there is a small amount of adhesive on them, then you can take it off. However, this isn't necessary.

Things like wood apple boxes will be thrown into a wood chipper. They will mostly be used to make wood chips for various construction products.

In rare cases, if the wood that made up the box is of fairly high quality, it can be pulped and turned into paper. However, since most wooden apple boxes are designed to be nothing more than a cheap way to transport apples around, this is probably not going to happen all that often. Instead, it will mostly be wood chips.

What Happens When You Recycle Cardboard Apple Boxes?

The process for cardboard apple boxes will be a little bit simpler.

To begin with, the cardboard will be shredded up. This is to make everything a uniform size. By introducing a bit of uniformity into the process, less energy is required during the recycling process.

Once everything has been shredded up, water and chemicals will be added to the mixture. This helps to separate ink, tape, and anything else that may be on the cardboard. It will also help to purify it a little bit.

The cardboard pulp will then be pushed back into sheets, and these sheets can then be used to make all manner of different products. In the vast majority of cases, your cardboard apple boxes will end up being cardboard again. In rare cases, they will end up as paper.

Can You Put Apple Boxes in the Trash?

You can. However, we wouldn't really advise it.

We are of the opinion that if something can be recycled, then it absolutely should be recycled. The last thing we want to do be doing is filling up landfills. Not only do landfills take up a lot of space, but they end up destroying the surrounding environment.

Since this planet has a lot of use for cardboard, by having the cardboard be recycled, we are reducing demand for a new card in the industry. This means that fewer trees get cut down. It also means that there will be a whole lot less pollution pumped out.

Since, in most cases, it isn't going to take that much extra effort to recycle your apple boxes, you may as well do it. In the majority of cases, you won't even need to go to a recycling center. Just leave it by the side of the road (in a bag, of course!)

Conclusion

Whether you have an apple box for holding apples or a box from Apple for your iPhone, then you will be able to recycle it. Just make sure that you do not attempt to recycle any plastic that comes with the latter.