Cardboard is the single largest component of

municipal solid waste around the world, thus it

becomes necessary for everyone to involve

themselves in recycling cardboard.

Over 85% of all products that are sold in the United States are packed in

cardboard. (http://cardboardrecycling.org/)

http://www.worldofstock.com/stock_photos/PWO3214.phphttp://www.greenbrier-swa.com/occ.htm

What is corrugated cardboard?

• Corrugated cardboard is a stiff, strong, and

light-weight material made up of three

layers of brown kraft paper.

• Layers of kraft paper are crimped and

glued to form corrugated cardboard, which

is then cut, printed, folded, and glued to

make boxes.

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Corrugated-Cardboard.html

http://www.langanart.com/PDFs/isriarticlepage.pdf

Pine Tree Forest Seedlings to replant forest

• Fast-growing pine trees provide the primary raw material used to make

corrugated cardboard. The largest packaging companies own thousands of acres

of land where trees are matured, harvested, and replaced with seedlings.

Trees For the Future

Where does the cardboard come from?

Making cardboard

• Break down wood chips into fibrous pulp. After pulping and other

processing, the fibers are sent directly to the paper machine where they

are formed, pressed, dried, and rolled into the wide, heavy rolls of kraft

paper sent to corrugating plants to be made into cardboard.

• At the corrugating plant, only a few other raw materials are needed to

make a finished box. Corn starch glue is used to bond the corrugated

medium to the liner sheets. Because so much glue is used, rail cars or

large tanker trucks deliver it as a dry powder that will be stored in huge

silos at the corrugating plant until it is needed.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cornstarch-Paste

http://www.powtech.se/web/Paddelblandare_9_2_1_2.aspx

http://upimage.ec21.com/global/multiImage/popMultiImg.jsp

At the processing plant, huge machines are used to create the corrugated cardboard.

After the cardboard is created…

• 85% of all products in the U.S. are packaged in cardboard. (http://cardboardrecycling.org/)

• Let’s identify items that are packaged in cardboard.

Pizza….

www.123rf.com/photo_3883001_cardboard-trash.html

31.4 million tons of corrugated cardboard is throw-away

annually in the U.S..

Fortunately, 77% of this cardboard is recycled.

EPA's Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2008 Facts and Figures

Some types of cardboard can't be recycled

Paper that can't be recycled as normal "mixed paper" includes:

food contaminated paper, waxed paper, waxed cardboard milk &

juice containers, oil soaked paper, carbon paper, sanitary

products or tissues, thermal fax paper, stickers and plastic

laminated paper such as fast food wrappers, juice boxes, and pet

food bags.

Paper with any sort of contamination or plastic layers can't be

recycled. Plastic laminated paper is bad for recycling plants; such

paper should be clearly marked

http://www.obviously.com/recycle/guides/common.html

http://earth911.com/news/2009/03/02/the-pizza-box-mystery/http://parkandco.com/blog/combustible-ideas/starbucks-cups-are-not-recyclable

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3931123-stock-photo-of-milk-carton.php

Non-recyclables made into artEco Factor: World’s biggest sculpture made from recycled materials.

Students at the Granada’s Architectural College in Southern Spain have made it to the

Guinness Book of World Record by creating the world’s biggest sculpture from recycled

milk cartons. The student team utilized over 50,000 recycled milk cartons to design the

castle.

http://www.ecofriend.com/entry/castle-from-50000-milk-cartons-earns-name-in-guinness-book-as-largest-recycled-sculpture/

Mark Langan is an artist who

uses corrugated cardboard to create relief

sculptures.http://www.langanart.com/PDFs/isriarticlepage.pdf

Where does Mark get his cardboard?

Mark says…

• Corrugated board is a material that can be easily

recycled over and over again.  I see it as an endless

supply source that I purge from my trash and

neighborhood, reusing it towards my creations. 

http://www.childrentopics.com/2011/04/18/lets-talk-trash.htmlhttp://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/naples_buried.php

Mark Langan uses an additive process to create his sculptures.

Langan does not use any

computer rendering to visualize

a project: he sketches it the

old-fashioned way, by drawing

it out on a piece of paper. Each

piece is built through a process

of cutting, layering, and sealing

with a non-toxic glue.

Mark creates pulp from the cardboard by first shredding the cardboard.

Then he adds glue and water and blends the materials to create a pulp

putty. As seen above Mark uses the pulp to add contrast, variety, and

emphasis.

http://blog.michellekaufmann.com/?p=508 http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/paper-magnets.htm

Notice the face

Is making art out of cardboard the best way to recycle?

NOBut it is a good way to promote recycling and

reusing! Let’s see how Mark Langan promotes

recycling and reusing through his art.

It would be naïve’ for him to claim that he’s making a huge dent in

reducing waste material going into landfills but as he states, “It is

something rather than nothing.” 

Marks sincere hope that

his art displayed on his

website contributes to the

recycling movement by

inspiring others to ask of

themselves, “What can I

do to help?”

http://www.langanart.com

http://ctngreen.com/2009/mar/?page=16http://ctngreen.com/2009/mar/?page=16http://ctngreen.com/2009/mar/?page=16http://ctngreen.com/2009/mar/?page=16

If you live in a community where there is less

importance given to recycling then what you can do

is talk to the local supermarket and department

stores and they can help you out with recycling your

cardboard boxes together with their stuff.

http://cardboardrecycling.org/

Questions to answer about

Mark Langan

1. What type of process does Mark Langan use to create his sculptures, circle one?

additive or subtractive

2. What materials does Mark use in his artworks and where does he get them?

3. What is Mark trying to communicate with his art?

4. Name two paper products that can’t be recycled at recycling centers.

5.What are the similarities and differences between these two artworks?

6. What is the artist trying to communicate in each?

Communicating through art

• Mark uses text/words so the viewer knows what his message is.

Creating art with text/word images can be lots of fun.