Recycle-only boxes
Recycling worn-out gaylords
Wet, torn, crushed or missing a bottom: these gaylords are structurally compromised and worth their fiber as OCC rather than reuse.
Recycle-only is the lowest grade, Grade D in the trade, and it is a plain one. A box lands here when it is wet, torn, crushed or missing its bottom. It cannot carry a load or stack, and no amount of tape changes that. Its value is the fiber.
How a box gets here
| Cause | What you see | Why it cannot be reused |
|---|---|---|
| Wet or damp storage | Soft walls, staining, wavy board | Relative humidity above 85% cuts stacking strength to about half; wet board does not recover |
| Yard storage through winter | Swollen flutes, split corners | Freeze and thaw cycles delaminate the board |
| Crushed in a stack | Bowed or collapsed walls | Crushed flutes carry no load |
| Torn or punctured | Open walls, ripped flaps | The wall cannot hold a load |
| No bottom | Missing tray or flaps | Nothing closes the base |
Preparing them for pickup
- Take out liners, strapping, slip sheets and anything that is not corrugated.
- Flatten what can be flattened; stack what cannot.
- Keep them dry from now on. Wet OCC is harder to move.
- Count the boxes and describe where they sit.
- Send the request with the count and the pickup ZIP.
A note on pallets: the boxes' pallets are a different stream. Hennepin County's disposal guide tells owners of reusable pallets to give them away or sell them, and refers other pallets to commercial pallet recyclers. We handle gaylords.
Related: recycling, bulk cardboard recycling, and the recycle-only grade.
What counts as worn out
A gaylord is worn out when it can no longer stand without help. That is the plain test. Boxes that have lost their bottom, have been wet through, or have collapsed under a load fall in this group. A box with a tear in one panel but a good bottom is not worn out; it is Grade C or a bin. Put a photo of the panel and a count on the request.
Flatten the boxes before you stack them for pickup. Remove liners, strap and metal. Keep them dry until they go.
When to call
If you have more than a few dozen, say so early so a pickup can be planned.
Questions, answered
Can a wet gaylord dry out and be reused?
We do not recommend it. Board that took on water has lost strength and does not get it back by drying.
Request a quote
Or email info@minneapolisgaylords.com.
Sources and last reviewed
Facts on this page were last reviewed 2026-11-11.
- PaperIndex Academy: humidity and corrugated strength: How corrugated board loses compression strength as relative humidity climbs from 50% to 90%.
- AICC: strengthening corrugated against cold weather: Industry guidance on cold weather, condensation between temperature zones, and strength lost over 90 days under load.
- Hennepin County green disposal guide: pallets: County guidance that reusable pallets should be given away or sold.