Lots of people know that we should recycle but doesn’t know how to recycle properly. So, here’s my guide on recycling paper. Of course, always check with your own waste management facility, and remember that zero waste lifestyle is about recycling less NOT more.

The most important thing for recycling is that there should be NO contamination in the recycling bin. This means that bottles and cans need to be empty of all liquids. Other food containers like yogurt tubs and pasta sauce jars should be rinsed. Any food, soda, beer, etc. that gets on the paper is counted as unrecyclable and can ruin the entire batch of recycled paper in the bin.

Now I will share about a few tips on recycling paper that we see everyday.

Cardboard Boxes

With the new trend online shopping, we have more cardboard boxes than ever before. These boxes are completely recyclable. You do NOT have to remove the tape and the labels (unless it’s excessive like tape all around the box), but you should break the boxes down.

Before recycling these boxes you should try to find a local business that will accept used shipping boxes for their own shipping needs. This way the boxes can be reused. We should try to keep our resources in play for as long as possible before recycling.

Remember, we should first reduce the amount of products we’re consuming that come in cardboard boxes. Then we should reuse the cardboard boxes as many times as possible. Only when the cardboard box can no longer be used, should we recycle them. The same principle applies on most recyclable items.

Printer Paper

Paper that comes out of your printer, bills, note book paper all of that is recyclable. Something I found really interesting is that people assume that crumpled paper can’t be recycled, but have no fear, even though the paper is crumpled, torn in half, or folded, it is still recyclable!

Shredded Paper

While crumpled and slightly altered paper is recyclable, shredded paper is NOT. The paper fibers have been shortened too much and the small shreds can jam machinery and contaminate bales of other materials.

Shredded paper is a great packing material especially for fragile items. Beyond that, it’s fabulous for compost especially worm bins!

Magazines

Magazines are recyclable! However, a lot of artists use magazines for their art projects. See if you can reuse this material before recycling it. If you have newer magazines, donate them to libraries, waiting rooms, family shelters, nursing homes, etc.

Paper Cups

Coffee cups are actually lined with plastic! They’re not compostable, and they’re not recyclable in most locations. To recycle coffee cups, waste management facilities have to have special machinery that separate the plastic lining from the paper cup.  The lids are plastic and not recyclable in most curbside bins, but the cardboard sleeve is recyclable!

Milk Cartons

Cartons are made primarily of paper but also have a thin layer of polyethylene, or plastic. Shelf-stable cartons contain a layer of aluminum. As such, milk cartons should be recycled with plastic, metal, and glass containers. Ultimately, the cartons will be sorted separately at the recycling facility and disposed of properly.A few other surprising facts to keep in mind:You don’t need to rinse out cartons before recycling. (Of course, you may want to if worried about smells.)You also should not flatten the carton. Sorters at recycling facilities will have an easier time identifying the object if it’s in its standard form.

Pizza Boxes

Typically the bottoms of pizza boxes are too greasy to be recycled. So, you’ll want to separate the lid and bottom of your pizza box. The greasy bottom part of the pizza box can be composted and the top of the pizza box can be recycled!

Newspaper

News print is recyclable and compostable!

Pasta, Cereal Boxes

These boxes are recyclable just make sure to remove the plastic window if there is one!

Envelopes

If you have paper envelopes please remove the plastic windows before recycling. While it might not have been that big of a deal before the contamination rules were placed – it’s incredibly important now to keep the paper as clean as possible!

Receipts, Tissue Papers and Photos are not recyclable !!