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.greenbrier-swa.com/occ.htm
http://www.worldofstock.com/stock_photos/PWO3214.php
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.langanart.com/PDFs/isriarticlepage.pdf
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Corrugated-Cardboard.html
Where does the cardboard come from?
Pine Tree Forest
Seedlings to replant forest
Trees For the Future
• 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.
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.
http://upimage.ec21.com/global/multiImage/popMultiImg.jsp
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cornstarch-Paste
http://www.powtech.se/web/Paddelblandare_9_2_1_2.aspx
• 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.
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
9/03/02/the-pizza-box-mystery/
http://parkandco.com/blog/com
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://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3931123-stock-photo-of-milk-carton.php
Non-recyclables made into art
Eco 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.treehugger.com/files/2007/07/naples_buried.php
http://www.childrentopics.com/2011/04/18/lets-talk-trash.html
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 oldfashioned 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.
Notice the face
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
Is making art out of cardboard the
best way to recycle?
NO
But 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=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.