Do you force your customers to WishCycle?!

You're a business selling products.

You pack up your orders with whatever packaging is to hand ... and leave it up to your customer to recycle the packaging.

Except, sometimes it's not recycled, but rather Wishcycled!

Imagine how many additional repeat customers you could have if you just took a moment to review the packaging you use so that your customer can confidently recycle your packaging (and therefore order from you again and again!)

What exactly is WishCycling?

You may not be familiar with the phrase "WishCycling". It is where somebody with 100% unquestionably good intentions, recycles something that cannot or is unlikely to be recycled. It is not malicious. It is not intentional. It is simply a lack of understanding.

It is a well-intentioned but misguided activity that can significantly disrupt the recycling process. Non-recyclable items introduced into the recycling stream can contaminate the otherwise recyclable materials. This contamination not only hinders the processing of genuine recyclables but in some cases, may lead to entire batches being deemed unrecyclable and subsequently sent to landfill. Nearly one-fifth of all recyclables are contaminated by wishcycling.

And it's an inevitable event, if you, as a supplier, do not make it obvious to your customers how they can dispose of the packaging that you have wrapped their product in!

What's the Problem?

Since 2021, soft plastics are now accepted in green recycling bins due to advancements in technology at many recycling facilities in Ireland, and access to new markets where this material can be processed. If it is recyclable, it will be sent to specialised polymer-specific recycling facilities. If it can't be recycled or is contaminated, it will be sent for energy recovery through Solid Residual Fuel (SRF) production for cement plants. And while many recycling facilities have all sorts of automated machinery and processes, they still employ a large number of human beings to sort the material by eye - the more non-recyclable material received, the more staff they need to employ ... and your bin charges will be increased to cover the additional wages! Making recycling easy is in everybody's interest!

What's the Solution?

Packaging manufacturers are constantly improving their manufacturing processes and great advances have been made, especially in making plastic products more recyclable. But it still needs specialist treatment. A much better solution would be for a business to package their products in (preferably pre-loved!) cardboard boxes along will paper-based voidfill.

Everybody is (or should be!) aware that cardboard and paper can be easily recycled. So supplying your products in mono-material packaging makes life a lot easier, as your customers know for certain that it can go into their green recycling bin.

There are many paper-based voidfill systems you could choose. Voidpal Paper Voidfil or Grip PaperFill Voidfill and Grip PaperFlex Honeycomb Paper are excellent solutions, especially if you are stuck for space!

An even better solution is a CushionPack Cardboard Shredder which has the added benefit that it will turn your own waste cardboard into highly protective shredded cardboard or matting that your customers will love!

If you would like to attract more loyal customers, simply from the eco-friendly easy-to-recycle packaging that you use, contact Box Depot who will be happy to advise you on our many sustainable packaging solutions.