What Types of Paper Are Recyclable? The 7 Main Types

Most types of paper are recyclable. Between catalogs, envelopes, magazines, egg cartons, and newspapers, all are recyclable forms of paper. However, many recycling centers don’t accept paper products with soiled or unusable fibers. These include toilet paper, greasy pizza boxes, and paper towels.

Recycling paper has tons of benefits for our society and the planet as a whole. It reduces waste, saves landfill space, and minimizes greenhouse gas emissions—all of which contribute to less air pollution.

But why is recycling important, and how can you recycle your paper products properly? Let’s find answers to these questions and learn what types of paper you can and cannot recycle.

Is Paper Recycling Important?

Recycling paper has many benefits for our environment and society. Every year, thousands of trees are cut down for paper manufacturing. By recycling already-made paper, we can save millions of trees every year and reduce the impact on our planet.

Here are a few more reasons why paper recycling is important:

The 7 Types of Paper You Can Recycle

Over the years, many state and local governments in the US have developed strict rules regarding paper recycling. The rules mainly revolve around certain materials present on the paper, such as bubble wrap, glitters, staple pins, etc.

You must check with your local authority to know the exact recycling laws. Generally, you can recycle the following seven types of paper across the country:

1. Cardboard

Cardboard is a common form of recyclable paper. There are two main types of cardboard (corrugated and paperboard), both of which can be easily recycled. In fact, cardboard boxes have a very high recycling rate of about 96.5%. With more than 70% of cardboard boxes being shipped commercially, that’s not a big surprise!

Most recycling centers and waste management facilities offer pick-up services for cardboard recycling. However, there are certain limitations. For example, some facilities don’t accept cardboard boxes with bubble wrap and Styrofoam.

A few centers also refuse to accept wet, greased, and waxy cardboard boxes. So, you must ask your local recycling facilities about the rules to decide what to do with your cardboard boxes.

2. Office Paper

Office paper is a general term used for different types of high-quality paper. These include writing, copying, printing, and computer paper. Papers used in these jobs contain longer fibers than standard ones.

Because office papers are high grade, they are brighter than newspaper and packaging paper. This means they can be reused and recycled multiple times. Many recycling centers also consider these types of paper the best for recycling.

3. Newspapers

Recycling old newspapers is the best way to free up space in your home. Not only are newspapers manufactured from recycled paper, but they also serve as the raw material for making new items. Some of them include the following:

4. Boxes With Fancy Coatings

You may have different paper boxes in your home, such as paperboard, cereal boxes, etc. These boxes have a special fancy coating of a thin film. You might have to remove this film before sending it to your nearest recycling center. However, some facilities may accept these boxes as is.

5. Magazines

Previously, the glossy paper used in magazines was considered unsuitable for recycling. However, with technological advancement, these papers are now easily recycled and transformed into different paper products.

Recycled magazines provide the raw material to manufacture low-quality papers like paperboard, tissues, and newspapers. Again, your state’s recycling rules may differ for magazines, so check with your local authority.

6. Juice Cartons

Some juice cartons fall into the “boxes with fancy coating” category, but most are different from those paper products. Juice cartons are generally poly-coated and made of non-plastic materials.

The polyethylene coating makes up only 20% of the paper box. Advanced machinery can easily separate this coating and recycle the rest of the box to produce different paper products.

7. Phone Books

A few years ago, you couldn’t recycle your phone books. But with processors and shredders getting upgraded, it’s no longer impossible. Many recycling facilities now accept phone books and process them to produce new paper products.

How Can You Recycle Paper Properly?

Paper is a highly acceptable form of recycling material for recycling facilities. However, they don’t accept all types of paper. If you can easily tear a paper, it will qualify for recycling. To recycle your paper correctly, you must ensure a few things, including:

It’s always better to contact your local waste management authority to ensure whether your paper qualifies for recycling. Doing so will also save you time and energy.

Conclusion

Recycling is an excellent way to preserve nature and treat our environment well. For instance, you can save significant landfill space and reduce air pollution just by recycling a single piece of paper.

The good news is that all types of paper are recyclable. Whether you have piles of magazines, juice cartons, cardboard, or newspapers, you can quickly dispose of them at your local recycling center.

However, ensure that the paper isn’t crumbled, shredded, greasy, or wet. That’s because many recycling companies don’t accept such papers and consider them contaminated. Nevertheless, paper is generally a highly recyclable material!

See also:

• Are Books Recyclable? How Do You Properly Dispose of Them?
• Can You Put Paper Towels in The Microwave? (Microwave Safety Tips)

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