corrugated packaging has long been the hero of recycling efforts in the united states, and according to the u.s. epa, the recovery of corrugated packaging far outstrips that of other packaging materials. sponsored by corrugated packaging alliance.a new survey shows that for the fourth consecutive year the recovery rate for old corrugated containers occ has hovered right around the 90 mark &ndash that&rsquos 90 of the corrugated produced in the u.s. successfully recovered for recycling, leaving a smaller environmental impact on our planet than any other packaging material. corrugated recovery has been rising steadily for decades from 54 in 1993, to 80 in 2009, to 8991 in 20112014.the american forest & paper association af&pa 2014 community access survey shows that 96 percent of americans have access to curbside andor dropoff communitylevel paper and paperboard recycling, which includes corrugated packaging. residential recycling efforts are an important part of corrugated&rsquos recovery rate &ndash and retailers also play a huge role.grocery retailers are at the forefront of this success story. most retailers have balers in their backroom operations where they readily prepare their occ for recycling. waste and recovery haulers pick it up and pay for it, because corrugated has a monetary value as feedstock for future corrugated boxes among other uses. everyone wins. retailers bring in new revenue waste haulers make money and maintain supply paper and corrugated manufacturers recover the raw material they need to produce new products.corrugated packaging has long been the hero of recycling efforts in the united states, and according to the u.s. epa, the recovery of corrugated packaging far outstrips that of other packaging materials. in 2012, the epa published a municipal waste characterization report showing that corrugated accounted for 74.6 of the packaging that was recovered for recycling. far behind, 8.3 of recovered packaging was glass 4.9 plastic 4.4 metal and 7.8 &ldquoall other&rdquo packaging materials.source municipal solid waste generation, recycling, and disposal in the united states tables and figures for 2012, u.s. environmental protection agency, office of resource conservation and recovery, february 2014.where occ goesmost occ is used to make new paper products. more than 50 percent of occ recovered in 2013 was used to make new containerboard. an additional 13 percent was used to make boxboard, and more than 31 percent was exported. global demand for occ generated in the u.s. grew steadily over the last decade, ensuring a viable market for u.s. recovered fiber. the vitality of the occ market helps assure that retailers recovering corrugated boxes and sending them out to be recycled will continue realizing revenue that boosts their profits. increasing the occ recovery also helps the corrugated industry continue to reduce its environmental footprint and meet global demand.the corrugated box industry has made significant investments to educate retailers and consumers on the benefits of recycling corrugated materials. in 1994, the &ldquocorrugated recycles&rdquo symbol was introduced in the u.s. the international corrugated case association icca adopted it three years later. today, the symbol is present on a majority of corrugated packaging.recycling progress waxed corrugatedin the fresh produce industry, wax has traditionally been used as a moisture barrier to preserve box strength for wet or iced products. this challenge has been overcome in recent years with the advent of recyclable wax alternatives spurring a dramatic decrease in wax use over the past decade. total wax usage for corrugated containers in 2013 decreased 39 from 2002. the development of recyclable alternatives increases the amount of corrugated packaging that can be recycled &ndash especially by grocery retailers, who handle the majority of products requiring moist conditions in transit. the replacement of wax for this purpose is stimulated by the fibre box association&rsquos fba&rsquos recyclability standard, published in 2005, that allows wax alternatives to be tested, proven and certified recyclable.teamwork saves the daysupermarkets are vital partners in helping to preserve natural resources and reduce environmental impact &ndash especially when it comes to corrugated, which is a primary transport package bringing most grocery products to their store locations. by recovering those used boxes for recycling, and requesting recyclable wax alternatives, retailers can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. for more information about recyclable wax alternatives, visit www.corrugated.org. 
