LYNDHURST, Ohio -- With more people than ever doing their shopping online, Amazon boxes and those from other retailers have become a common sight on doorsteps. Because of this growth, one could draw the conclusion that recycling of cardboard is at an all-time high.

Statistics, however, show that that is not always the case. In fact, as domestic consumption grew 3.5 percent, the year 2017 saw 300,000 fewer tons of corrugated containers recycled in the United States than the year before. This means that, instead of being recycled or re-used, more cardboard is being sent to landfills.

"Recycle your cardboard," said Cristie Snyder, communication manager for the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, when asked what message she wanted most to send to the county's residents. "A lot of cardboard is not being recycled."

Perhaps the main reason is that cardboard is not being properly prepared for pickup and recycling as it should be.

"We all all see them as we drive down the street (on curbside collection day)," Snyder said. "There are boxes put on tree lawns, but they may be stuffed with things like Styrofoam, not flattened properly for recycling, or they may be wet."

A shift in who is responsible for recycling cardboard could be the reason for less of its recycling.

"Part of the reason for the drop in cardboard recycling is that the onus is now on individual consumers to recycle properly," CCSWD Executive Director Diane Bickett said in a news release. "Prior to the rise of online shopping, retailers were responsible for flattening and baling cardboard boxes and making sure they made their way to the recycling plant."

While the national figures show that cardboard recycling is down, numbers from Medina County may show something different.

Solid Waste Coordinator for Medina County Beth Biggins-Ramer said that the total amount of residential recycling for all recyclables -- paper, plastics, metals, cardboard, etc. -- amounted to 4,731.24 tons in 2016, and grew in 2017 to 5,563.79 tons.

"In 2018," she said, "it looks like we're going to have more than 6,000 tons."

The much more rural Medina County includes only one community, Montville Township, that conducts curbside recycling.

"We have 72 drop-off locations in Medina County that include over 170 containers," Biggins-Ramer said. In order to recycle cardboard, residents must haul it to a drop-off site and, Biggins-Ramer said, to do that usually means breaking down cardboard so that it fits inside vehicles.

"We applaud our residents," she said of their recycling efforts, noting that it does not appear as if cardboard recycling has lessened in Medina County.

Of course, Biggins-Ramer said, figures from Medina County -- which is home to only three cities, Brunswick, Medina and Wadsworth, and a total of 170,000 people -- cannot be fairly compared to Cuyahoga County, in which 1.249 million people live.

Still, Biggins-Ramer joins the CCSWD's Bickett and Snyder in calling for proper procedures to be followed when recycling cardboard.

"But the fact that our residents have to put cardboard boxes into their vehicle and break it down to haul it means they are doing what everybody should do -- cardboard has to be broken down," Biggins-Ramer said. "If it's broken down, it's going to take up less space in the (collection) truck."

Even within Cuyahoga County, there are communities such as Lyndhurst, which collects its own refuse and materials for recycling.

"We do take paper and cardboard, but not shredded paper," said Lyndhurst Mayor Patrick Ward. "We're encouraging our residents, like Cuyahoga County, to be informed and to recycle responsibly.

"Certainly, if you're flattening your cardboard boxes, it makes it easier for everybody."

The CCSWD provides these tips for holiday cardboard recycling:

-- There is no need to be concerned with removing tape or labels from cardboard when recycling, as those will come off during the recycling process.

-- Remove all packing materials, such as packing peanuts or Styrofoam blocks.

-- Break down your box or container into a flattened state. Don't be concerned if it's dented, bent, ripped or damaged.

-- Only place cardboard out for collection in dry weather, or in a closed recycling receptacle.

-- Place the flattened, dry and clean cardboard in your curbside recycling container or drop it off at a Paper Retriever or River Valley paper drop-off location. These large, green-and-yellow recycling bins can be found in the parking lots of schools and churches.

While China will no longer accept plastic recyclables from the United States -- creating a need to find ways in America for proper plastic recycling -- cardboard is something that can be used again and again in this country.

"Cardboard can be used up to five to seven times," Snyder said.

Recycled cardboard is used to make things such as cereal boxes, tissues and more cardboard. Cardboard recycling also reduces the number of trees needed for cardboard manufacturing.

For more information on how to recycle in your Cuyahoga County community and discover other recycling and disposal options, visit CuyahogaRecycles.org, or call 216-443-3749.