5 Ways Atlanta Businesses Are Reducing Packaging Waste

Georgia ranks as the 8th largest state by GDP, and the greater Atlanta metropolitan area is home to over 150,000 businesses — from Fortune 500 headquarters like Coca-Cola, UPS, and Home Depot to thousands of small and mid-sized companies powering the regional economy. With this commercial activity comes an enormous amount of packaging waste. The EPA estimates that containers and packaging make up 28.1% of all municipal solid waste in the United States, and metro Atlanta is no exception. But a growing number of local businesses are finding creative, cost-effective ways to break the cycle.

1. Box Reuse Programs

The simplest way to reduce packaging waste is to use boxes more than once. A standard corrugated box can be reused 5–7 times before it loses structural integrity, yet the average box is used just 1.4 times. Box reuse programs close this gap by creating systems for collecting, inspecting, and redistributing used boxes.

How to Set Up a Box Reuse Program

Setting up an internal box reuse program doesn't require a massive investment. Here's a practical implementation plan:

1. Designate collection areas. Place clearly labeled collection bins in your receiving dock, warehouse, and break room. Separate boxes by size — small, medium, large — for easy retrieval. Many Atlanta businesses use color-coded signage: green for reusable boxes, yellow for recycling only.
2. Train receiving staff. When deliveries arrive, have staff open boxes carefully — cutting tape rather than ripping flaps. This single practice can double the reuse rate of incoming boxes. Keep box cutters mounted near the receiving dock for easy access.
3. Establish quality standards. Not every box should be saved. Create a simple pass/fail checklist: no moisture damage, all flaps intact, no heavy contamination, structural integrity passes the pinch test. Boxes that fail go directly to recycling.
4. Flatten and store efficiently. Flattened boxes take up 85% less space than assembled ones. Store them vertically on edge in a dry, covered area. A 10-foot section of wall-mounted racking can hold 200+ flattened boxes.
5. Track your savings. Count the boxes reused each month and multiply by the cost of a new replacement. This data justifies the program and motivates staff to participate.

ROI Calculation Example

Box Atlanta runs a Box Buyback program for Atlanta businesses that have surplus boxes they can't reuse internally. We purchase quality used boxes, inspect and grade them, and sell them to other local businesses — creating a circular economy that benefits everyone. If you generate more reusable boxes than you can use, we'll pay you for them and handle the pickup.

2. Right-Sizing Initiatives

Oversized packaging is one of the biggest hidden waste drivers in the supply chain. Industry research shows that the average shipping box is 40% larger than necessary for its contents, which means businesses are wasting roughly 25% of their corrugated material on every shipment. That excess material ends up in landfills or recycling streams that consume additional energy and resources.

The True Cost of Oversizing

How to Implement Right-Sizing

• Audit your top 20 SKUs. Start with the products you ship most frequently. Measure each product and compare it to the box you're currently using. If there's more than 2 inches of clearance on any side (beyond cushioning), you're oversizing.
• Stock 4–6 box sizes instead of 1–2. Many businesses default to one or two box sizes for simplicity. Adding a few more options reduces average void space from 40% to under 15%. The additional inventory cost is minimal compared to the shipping savings.
• Consider on-demand box making. For high-volume operations, machines that cut custom-sized boxes from flat corrugated sheets can create the perfect size for every order. These systems typically pay for themselves within 12–18 months through material and shipping savings.
• Use mailers for small items. Products under 1 lb that don't need box protection — think clothing, soft goods, and flexible items — can ship in poly mailers or padded envelopes at a fraction of the cost and waste.

3. Partnering with Local Recyclers

Atlanta has a robust recycling infrastructure, anchored by municipal programs and supplemented by private companies that specialize in commercial corrugated recycling. For businesses generating significant volumes of packaging waste, partnering with a dedicated recycler can turn a cost center into a revenue stream.

How Commercial Corrugated Recycling Works

Unlike residential recycling, commercial corrugated recycling is a commodity market. Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) are one of the most valuable recyclable materials, with prices typically ranging from $50–$150 per ton depending on market conditions. For businesses generating a ton or more of waste corrugated per month, this translates to real revenue.

1. Collect and bale. Invest in a vertical baler ($2,000–$5,000 used) to compress waste corrugated into compact bales. A single bale typically weighs 800–1,200 lbs. Baled cardboard is worth 30–50% more per ton than loose material because it's easier to transport and process.
2. Schedule regular pickups. Work with a recycler who provides scheduled pickup service. Many Atlanta-area recyclers offer free pickup for businesses generating 1+ ton per month. For smaller volumes, coordinate with neighboring businesses to share a pickup.
3. Keep materials clean. Contaminated corrugated (wet, greasy, food-stained) is worth significantly less or may be rejected entirely. Keep recycling areas covered and dry, and train staff to separate contaminated board.

Atlanta's Recycling Landscape

Metro Atlanta processes approximately 500,000 tons of recyclable materials annually. The city's recycling rate for commercial corrugated hovers around 89% — significantly higher than the national average of 82%. This success is driven by strong local partnerships between businesses, haulers, and processing facilities, as well as the proximity of major paper mills in the Southeast that create consistent demand for OCC feedstock.

Box Atlanta operates on both sides of this equation. We purchase quality used boxes from businesses that no longer need them — paying more than recyclers for boxes that are still structurally sound — and we recycle boxes that have reached end-of-life through our partnerships with regional recycling facilities. This two-tier approach ensures that every box achieves its maximum useful life before entering the recycling stream.

4. Switching to Recycled-Content Boxes

When businesses do need new boxes, choosing ones made from recycled content significantly reduces environmental impact. Modern recycled-content corrugated board offers performance that's nearly identical to virgin-fiber board for most applications.

Understanding Recycled Content

For most shipping applications — anything under 40 lbs and not requiring extreme stacking strength — recycled-content boxes perform identically to virgin-fiber alternatives. The slight reduction in burst strength is irrelevant for the vast majority of e-commerce, B2B, and storage applications.

Environmental Impact Numbers

Switching from virgin-fiber to 100% recycled-content boxes delivers measurable environmental benefits:

For businesses in the Atlanta area looking to improve their environmental credentials, specifying recycled-content boxes is one of the most impactful changes you can make. It requires zero workflow changes — the boxes look and perform the same — and actually costs less in most cases. Several Georgia-based paper mills produce recycled-content corrugated, which means shorter supply chains and lower carbon footprint from transportation.

5. Employee Training Programs

The best sustainability strategy in the world fails without buy-in from the people executing it daily. Employee training is the most overlooked — and often the most impactful — waste reduction tool available to Atlanta businesses. A well-trained workforce can reduce packaging waste by 15–30% with no additional capital investment.

Key Training Topics

• Proper box opening techniques. Train receiving staff to open boxes by cutting tape cleanly rather than tearing. This single technique makes 60% more incoming boxes reusable. Show employees the financial impact: every reusable box saved is $1.50–$3.00 back in the company's pocket.
• Box size selection. Teach packing staff to evaluate product dimensions and select the smallest appropriate box. Create a visual guide that hangs near the packing station showing which products go in which box sizes. The best packing teams can reduce average void space from 40% to under 10%.
• Cushioning optimization. Overtaping and over-cushioning are common waste sources. Train staff on the 2-inch cushioning rule and demonstrate that a properly fitted box needs minimal void fill. This can reduce cushioning material usage by 30–50%.
• Sorting and recycling protocols. Make it crystal clear where different materials go: reusable boxes to the collection area, non-reusable corrugated to the baler, and contaminated material to trash. Labeling, color-coding, and regular reminders keep contamination rates low.
• Waste tracking and goals. Share waste reduction data with employees monthly. Set team goals and celebrate milestones. Companies that make waste data visible to frontline employees see 20–40% better results than those that keep it in management reports.

Building a Training Program

An effective packaging waste training program doesn't need to be expensive or time-consuming. Here's a framework that works for businesses of all sizes:

How Box Atlanta Supports Your Waste Reduction Goals

At Box Atlanta, sustainability isn't a marketing tagline — it's the foundation of our business model. Every service we offer is designed to keep packaging materials in circulation longer and reduce what ends up in landfills:

• Box Buyback Program: We purchase quality used boxes from Atlanta businesses, paying competitive rates for boxes that still have useful life. Your surplus becomes another company's savings.
• Graded Used Box Sales: Every box we sell is inspected and assigned a clear grade (Like New, Good, or Fair) so buyers know exactly what they're getting. Savings of 40–70% vs. new.
• Right-Sizing Consultations: Our team can audit your product lineup and recommend optimal box sizes to eliminate oversizing waste and DIM weight surcharges.
• Recycling Services: For boxes that have reached end-of-life, we provide pickup and responsible recycling through our regional partners.
• Sustainability Reporting: We provide customers with quarterly reports documenting boxes diverted from landfill, trees saved, and CO2 emissions avoided — data you can include in your own ESG reporting.