Should the cardboard be recycled if its wet, soiled or stained?
A. It depends on how wet, soiled or stained it is. If the cardboard has been soaking in water, is impregnated with lots of dirt and gravel, and has oil stains, then clearly it should not be recycled. Oil and grease stains are the worst, followed by dirt while water stains are the least harmful to the recycling process. Small (small!!!) amounts of dirt and stain are acceptable. Cardboard can get wet and still be recyclable; but, once it has gotten soaked to the point it starts to fall apart, it’s better not to recycle it.
