Every time you receive a package, what do you do with the cardboard waste? In India, households, itinerant waste merchants, and garbage collectors jointly recover 2.4 to 4.3 million tonnes of cardboard and mixed paper annually. Overall, 30–60 percent of all paper and cardboard is recycled.
Kolkata-based Krishna Khuku has found an innovative way to transform used delivery boxes into plant protectors. She shares three possible and easy solutions.
1. As a protective layer against heat waves
Krishna says cardboard protects plants from heat waves while keeping the soil moist and preventing pest attacks. “Using cardboard reduces evaporation from the top exposed soil, preventing it from drying out by holding the moisture in. It promotes more steady soil temperature overall. It will suppress weed growth as well,” she says.
2. As a mulch to nourish soil
Krishna says using cardboard as mulch nourishes the soil while it’s decomposing. She also advises using cardboards that are 100 percent recyclable or compostable.
3. As a filling for large grow bags for composting
Krishna says filling grow bags with cardboard for composting helps them transform into rich fertilisers with the help of worms. When tossed in the soil, worms munch through the cardboard until it breaks as it is biodegradable.
She also advises using cardboard boxes as seedling boxes and hard ones for planters as well. “Next time you get them, don’t throw them away,” she advises.
Edited by Padmashree Pande.
