Egg carton
An egg carton or egg box is a container for transporting and storing eggs . The material used is mostly cardboard or rigid foam ( polystyrene ).
to form
Folding form
The folding egg carton with lid and base is mostly used in supermarkets as a packaging material. These boxes are available in different sizes, for example to hold six or ten eggs.
A classic egg carton consists of a base that is designed so that the eggs rest individually in pre-formed, cup-shaped depressions without touching one another. The upper part is a smooth lid connected to the lower part , which can be closed with the help of flaps . In bulk sales, the box is partially secured with a sticker or sealed in the original packaging. There are also various decors and prints for cash register and customer information. The cardboard boxes are mostly smooth and have a brownish or greenish color.
Special shapes made of transparent plastic (mostly PS or PET) are derived from this, i.e. so-called blister packs, which are mostly used to sell Easter eggs that have already been colored . In addition to the hinge, the lid and base are connected by knobs and hollow pairs of around 6 mm that snap into one another, or by welding.
Due to their special shape, these cardboard boxes are extremely strong. This makes it possible to stack up to 20 loaded layers on top of each other without crushing the lower packs and damaging their contents.
Plate shape
For larger households and the catering trade, pallet-like cardboard boxes with a side length of around 30 cm are used. There is space for around 30 eggs each. This form is used, among other things, at chicken farms that practice direct sales by sales vehicle.
These cartons have a uniform arrangement of pyramids, which allows a relatively tight packing of the eggs and furthermore gives the surface the necessary stability. Recessed grip-like marks can be found on two opposite pages. The form itself can be stacked in itself and, by twisting it, can be stacked like a pallet in the loaded state. For transport in station wagons, heights of over one meter can easily be reached. These cardboard boxes are mostly only smooth on the usable side and are kept in a simple gray, like various newsprint. There is usually no space for advertising or the like.
A certain degree of caution is required when handling, as the goods on the top layer are largely exposed. On the other hand, damage can usually be seen quickly. If a single layer is transported by hand, the entire surface should be supported, since bending - e.g. B. by sudden jerk or material weakness - leads to a crash and thus to the loss of the entire position.
Storage and reuse
In general, storage in a dry place is recommended, as otherwise the cardboard box will become soft or could even dissolve. The folding boxes in supermarkets are single-use products . A return delivery to the packaging company is not practiced. According to EU law , egg packaging may not be used commercially twice, as it could otherwise trigger a transmission of salmonella . However, this regulation does not apply to domestic private use and the direct sale of smaller quantities by the producer directly to the end consumer. Paper egg boxes made of cardboard can be recycled with other old cardboard , but they can also be composted .
Egg cartons for soundproofing
Egg cartons have a high level of sound absorption and were used for makeshift soundproofing of the existing room acoustics, for example in the practice rooms of amateur musicians or on shooting ranges , and were rather mistakenly used for soundproofing from the neighborhood. In contrast to this dubious method, there are now powerful and inexpensive solutions that show advantages in terms of fire protection .
In order to treat the arithmetic weaknesses , the ten egg carton is used as an aid for practicing structured conceptions of quantities.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Egg cartons may only be used once. In: Franconian news. May 24, 2012, accessed March 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 29, 2004 on food hygiene , accessed on March 6, 2016 , chap. X, no. 5: "Wrappings and packaging that are reused for food must be easy to clean and, if necessary, easy to disinfect"
- ↑ Egg cartons to improve the acoustics cheaply? No thanks. - pdf (95 kB)
- ↑ Harald Schmidt: Mathematics begins with the egg carton. A practical book on dyscalculia therapy with a theoretical background for parents, teachers and therapists of mathematically weak children . Mungo-Verlag, Göttingen 2008. ISBN 978-3-941572-00-3