Sell used cardboard bales from your business
Cardboard bales are a commodity sold by weight, so what matters is grade, dryness and contamination. Clean, dry, mill-size bales of old corrugated containers (OCC) with no plastic film, wax-coated board or trash in them are the saleable case. Bale count and typical bale weight decide whether a load is worth a truck.
How do you prepare a lot of cardboard bales?
- Store bales dry and off the floor.
- Note the baler size and roughly what a bale weighs.
- Count the bales on hand and how many you make per week.
Which questions decide the grade?
The value check asks these for cardboard bales:
- Are the bales dry?
- Is it only corrugated cardboard?
- How many bales?
Answer them for your cardboard bales to see whether the line is likely resale, possible, or disposal.
How much truck space do cardboard bales take?
For planning, the truckload calculator counts about 2 units per 48 x 40 floor position: two bales stacked. Heavy bales can hit the trailer weight limit before the floor fills. A 53 ft dry van holds about 26 positions loaded straight. Change the figure in the calculator to match how yours are packed.
What size should you write on the lot?
A short description is enough, for example 60x30x48, about 1,000 lb. If you have several sizes, use one line per size.
Questions about selling cardboard bales
Do you buy loose cardboard?
Loose cardboard is bulky and light, so it rarely pays for its own truck. Baled OCC, or loose board added to a larger lot, is the realistic case.
Is there a minimum for cardboard bales?
Yes, commercial quantities. The minimum depends on the lot and the pickup location, and the quote states it. Mixing cardboard bales with other lines in one lot is the easiest way past it.
Related reading
- Reuse vs recycling on your diversion report
- Truckloads and minimums: why lot size decides the pickup terms