• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Wellesley Square
  • Private schools
  • Camp
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Athlete of the Week
  • Seniors
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley RDF relearning: Cardboard vs. Chipboard vs. Boxboard

March 24, 2021 by Bob Brown 5 Comments

If you haven’t been by the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility (RDF) lately, give yourself an extra minute to adjust to a reorganization and updated signs in the recycling section at the start of the loop. Though read on and we’ll help you prepare for this slight change to your routine.

RDF new signs

The chip board and box board collection area—for your empty shoe boxes, cereal boxes, etc.—has been moved away from cardboard and corrugated cartons at the end of row, and to the left of newspapers. Meanwhile, cardboard, like your standard Amazon boxes, has been mashed up with brown paper bags. So no more dumping all your chip and box board and cardboard together like would inevitably happen when they were next to each other. As if they were all the same.

I’d been aware of the changes before I stopped by Monday morning, and sure enough, the first thing I came across was a guy and a young girl, with the girl rushing up to the cardboard slot and the guy saying: “Wait, they’ve switched everything around!” And later, “What’s chipboard anyway?”

Soon after,, a woman lugging her cardboard and chipboard arrived at the cardboard section. She looked up at the sign, paused, looked at her stuff, and tossed it all in.

As a pillar of the sustainability community, I dumped our cardboard and paper bags in their allotted section, and rid myself of our chipboard in its dedicated section.

cardboard brown paper bags
Photo courtesy of Patrick Rafter

 

chip board box board
Photo courtesy of Patrick Rafter

 

RDF Superintendent Jamie Manzolini is aware that the change could cause a bit of confusion and earlier this week was readying a sign with a picture of chip board and box board designed to help people out. Chip board and box board, he says, are two names for the same thing. Same for cardboard and corrugated cartons, he says.

“We understand that it will take a little while to have people acclimated,” he says. “The picture will help a little as I understand that not all people know these industry terms.”

Perhaps the more curious change is the mixing of brown paper bags and cardboard. Manzolini says brown paper bags have the same fibers and value as cardboard, so that’s why they are now combined.

The change at the RDF coincides with a change at the Swellesley home front about how we organize our recyclables before carting them to the dump. Out are the hard plastic tubs, which were both yucky and cracked, and in are these stylish reusable bags.

bags

I’ll admit I felt a tad fancy trotting these out on Monday, but I’m pretty sure no one batted an eye at my masked up and sunglass-wearing self. Plus, Mrs. Swellesley reveals that she purchased the bags through a Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild fundraiser, which supports efforts such as beautifying Wellesley post offices with window boxes. So how could I not feel good about that?


swellesley green ad

print

Share

Filed Under: Environment

Comments

  1. Donna Maria Ticchi says

    March 24, 2021 at 8:21 pm

    Thank you so much for clarifying these changes for us!

    Reply
  2. Michael says

    March 24, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    Cardboard and corrugated are distinctly different. Cardboard is thick paper and likely a cereal box. Corrugated is three layered and has a corrugated center shaped like a corrugated roof—this is your Amazon box which is stronger for shipping. Here is just one source. https://inbound.betterpackages.com/blog/whats-the-difference-cardboard-vs.-corrugated-cartons

    Reply
  3. Dennis McCormick says

    March 24, 2021 at 9:03 pm

    More confusion: brown and green bottles go together at one end; they are separated at the other end. What gives? And non-returnable aluminum cans? There is a sign and small container on one end.

    Reply
  4. Joe Senecal says

    March 25, 2021 at 10:55 am

    It would be helpful to explain why chipboard in corrugated cardboard have different value and why it is worth the effort of citizens to take the time to separate them at their homes before delivering them for recycle. Frankly, I don’t think people really really understand the benefit in the recycling process of making this extra effort without some explanation of its worth.

    Reply
  5. Tim Bailey says

    May 4, 2021 at 11:06 am

    Chipboard is solid fiber, corrugated has flutes or air between the layers. For example, chipboard is a shoe box, cereal box, paper tube, stiffener on the back of a legal pad of paper.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Linden Square, Wellesley
Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley, see what's new

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Edge on Science
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Family withdraws plan for large house near Wellesley's Brook Path
  • One final Hunnewell clap-out & shouts of "Judie! Judie! Judie!" for beloved crossing guard
  • Wellesley overwhelmed by Westwood in state final for girls' lacrosse
  • Wellesley school news: Wellesley High grads return to Hardy; German students feast; Get your kids into consulting
  • Bench near Wellesley High honors Tom Zinck

Upcoming Events

Jun 28
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Fay School admission information session

Jul 6
10:00 am - 11:00 am

Open House at Boston Outdoor Preschool Network

Jul 16
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Wellesley Square July Jubilation Sidewalk Sale

Jul 19
8:00 am - 9:00 am

Fay School admission information session

Jul 20
10:00 am - 11:00 am

Tour at Boston Outdoor Preschool Network

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Susan on Wellesley Business Buzz: Merchants raise ‘Parking, parking, parking’ concerns in Wellesley Square; Lockheart Restaurant sign goes up
  • Susan Glynn on Wellesley Business Buzz: Merchants raise ‘Parking, parking, parking’ concerns in Wellesley Square; Lockheart Restaurant sign goes up
  • Jerry on Wellesley Business Buzz: Merchants raise ‘Parking, parking, parking’ concerns in Wellesley Square; Lockheart Restaurant sign goes up
  • EK on Family withdraws plan for large house near Wellesley’s Brook Path
  • Amy G. on Big Wellesley garage sale, June 18th, plus Town rules for holding your own sale

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • Animals (416)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (576)
  • Beyond Wellesley (47)
  • Books (365)
  • Business (1,500)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (48)
  • Churches (79)
  • Clubs (228)
  • Construction (295)
  • Dump (127)
  • Education (3,108)
    • Babson College (250)
    • Bates Elementary School (16)
    • Dana Hall School (34)
    • Fiske Elementary School (9)
    • Hardy Elementary School (44)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (42)
    • MassBay (55)
    • Schofield Elementary School (24)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (608)
    • Wellesley High School (961)
    • Wellesley Middle School (203)
  • Embracing diversity (69)
  • Entertainment (786)
  • Environment (748)
  • Fashion (141)
  • Finance (14)
  • Fire (161)
  • Food (342)
  • Fundraising (612)
  • Gardens (157)
  • Government (555)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (14)
  • Health (850)
    • COVID-19 (200)
  • Hikes (3)
  • History (388)
  • Holidays (405)
  • Houses (153)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (849)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (6)
  • Letters to the Editor (62)
  • Media (70)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (11)
  • Morses Pond (108)
  • Music (568)
  • Natick Report (29)
  • Neighbors (273)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (73)
  • Outdoors (642)
  • Parenting (62)
  • Police (757)
    • Crime (386)
  • Politics (551)
  • POPS Senior Profile (8)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (330)
  • Religion (131)
  • Restaurants (332)
  • Safety (150)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (120)
  • Shopping (143)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (980)
    • Athlete of the Week (6)
  • STEM (107)
  • Technology (164)
  • Theatre (392)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (230)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,230)
  • Volunteering (346)
  • Weather (177)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (276)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (19)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed
Deland, Gibson Insurance, Wellesley

© 2022 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login