Paper Recycling Guide

📄 Types of Paper

Paper and cardboard are among the most commonly recycled materials in the United States. According to the EPA, paper and paperboard products make up the largest portion of municipal solid waste. Understanding which types of paper are recyclable helps keep contamination out of the recycling stream.

Paper Type	Examples	Recyclable?	Bin / Disposal
Newspaper	Daily papers, weekly circulars, inserts	Yes	Blue recycling bin
Office Paper	Printer paper, notebook paper, envelopes	Yes	Blue recycling bin
Magazines / Catalogs	Glossy magazines, catalogs, brochures	Yes	Blue recycling bin
Cardboard (OCC)	Shipping boxes, moving boxes, cereal boxes	Yes	Blue bin (flatten first)
Paperboard	Cereal boxes, shoe boxes, tissue boxes	Yes	Blue recycling bin
Cartons	Milk cartons, juice cartons, broth boxes	Varies by city	Check local guidelines
Wax-Coated Paper	Butcher paper, wax-coated cups	No	Trash
Soiled Paper	Greasy pizza boxes, food-stained paper	No	Trash or compost
Paper Towels / Napkins	Used paper towels, napkins, tissues	No	Compost or trash
Thermal Paper	Receipts, ATM slips, some tickets	No	Trash
Laminated Paper	Laminated menus, posters, ID cards	No	Trash

What About Shredded Paper?

Shredded paper acceptance varies widely by municipality. The small pieces can fall through sorting equipment and contaminate other materials. Here are your best options:

Check locally first -- some programs accept shredded paper if placed in a paper bag and stapled shut.
Compost it -- shredded paper makes great "brown" material for home composting.
Never put loose shredded paper in your recycling bin -- it jams sorting machines and often ends up in the trash anyway.

Paper Products That Should NOT Go in the Recycling Bin

Wax-coated paper: The wax coating cannot be separated from the paper fiber during recycling.
Soiled paper and pizza boxes with grease: Oil and food residue contaminate entire batches of recyclable paper. Cut off the clean top of a pizza box and recycle that; trash the greasy bottom.
Paper towels and napkins: The fibers are too short and degraded to recycle. Compost them instead if your city offers composting.
Thermal receipts: These contain BPA or BPS chemicals that contaminate the paper recycling stream.
Laminated paper: The plastic film bonded to paper makes separation impossible.
Stickers and adhesive labels: Adhesives gum up the recycling machinery.
Photographs: Photo paper has a plastic coating and chemical treatments that prevent recycling.

✅ Proper Disposal Steps

Follow these steps to prepare your paper and cardboard for recycling. Proper preparation helps ensure your materials actually get recycled rather than sent to the landfill.

1

Keep It Clean and Dry

Wet or food-soiled paper cannot be recycled. If paper gets wet, let it dry completely before placing it in the bin. If it is stained with grease or food, it goes in the trash or compost.

2

Remove Tape and Staples

Remove packing tape and large staples when it is easy to do so. Small staples are generally fine -- recycling facilities can filter them out. Peel off any shipping labels if possible.

3

Flatten All Boxes

Break down cardboard boxes and flatten them. This saves space in your bin and in the recycling truck, allowing more material to be collected each trip.

4

Place in Your Blue Recycling Bin

Put clean, dry paper and flattened cardboard in your curbside blue recycling bin. Do not bag your recyclables in plastic bags -- place items loosely in the bin.

Cardboard Breakdown Guide

Large cardboard boxes are one of the most valuable recyclable materials. Here is how to prepare them:

Remove all packing materials: Take out bubble wrap, Styrofoam peanuts, air pillows, and plastic bags. These go to store drop-off, not curbside recycling.
Pull off tape: Remove as much packing tape as you can. A little residue is acceptable.
Flatten completely: Open all flaps and press the box flat. Use your foot or cut along a seam with a box cutter.
Cut oversized boxes: If a box is too large for your bin, cut it into pieces that fit. Most programs accept cardboard placed neatly beside the bin.
Keep dry: Store flattened cardboard indoors or in a covered area until collection day. Wet cardboard degrades in quality.

Cartons: A Special Case

Milk cartons, juice cartons, and shelf-stable cartons (like broth or coconut water) are accepted in many -- but not all -- US curbside programs. These cartons are made of layers of paper, plastic, and sometimes aluminum.

Rinse the carton with water to remove residue.
Replace the cap (if it has one) so it does not fall through sorting equipment.
Do not flatten cartons -- 3D shapes help sorters identify them.
Check the Carton Council's website or your local recycling guide to confirm acceptance in your area.

⚠️ Cautions and Common Mistakes

Wish-Cycling: The Biggest Problem

"Wish-cycling" is when you put something in the recycling bin hoping it can be recycled, even though you are not sure. This is one of the biggest causes of contamination at recycling facilities. When in doubt, throw it out -- contaminated loads of paper can cause entire truckloads to be landfilled.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Putting plastic bags in the blue bin: Never use plastic bags to bundle your paper recyclables. Plastic bags jam sorting equipment and cause costly shutdowns.
Recycling greasy pizza boxes: The grease-soaked bottom of a pizza box contaminates paper bales. Tear off the clean lid to recycle; trash or compost the greasy bottom.
Including receipts: Most store receipts are thermal paper coated with BPA. Put them in the trash, not recycling.
Leaving food in cardboard: A cereal box is recyclable, but only if you shake out all the crumbs and remove the inner plastic liner bag first.
Recycling paper cups: Coffee cups from most shops have a thin polyethylene lining that makes them non-recyclable in standard paper streams. Check if your city has a special cup recycling program.
Mixing in wet paper: Paper that has been soaked loses fiber integrity and cannot be recycled. Always keep your recycling bin covered.

The Pizza Box Rule

Pizza boxes are one of the most debated items in recycling. Here is the simple rule:

Clean lid with no grease stains: Tear it off and recycle it.
Greasy bottom: Throw it in the trash, or compost it if your municipality accepts food-soiled paper in composting.
Some newer programs accept lightly soiled pizza boxes. Check your local program for the latest guidance.

🔍 Myths Debunked

Myth: You need to remove every staple before recycling paper.

Fact: Small staples and paper clips are easily removed by recycling equipment during the pulping process. You do not need to spend time pulling out every staple. However, large binder clips, spiral bindings, and plastic covers should be removed.

Myth: Glossy paper and magazines cannot be recycled.

Fact: Most glossy paper, including magazines, catalogs, and brochures, is recyclable. The glossy coating is typically a thin clay layer, not plastic, and modern recycling mills handle it without any issues. Toss them in your blue bin.

Myth: All paper is recyclable because it is made from natural fibers.

Fact: While paper comes from wood, many paper products have been treated with chemicals, coatings, or contaminants that make them non-recyclable. Thermal receipts, waxed paper, laminated paper, and heavily soiled paper all belong in the trash.

Myth: Paper can be recycled an unlimited number of times.

Fact: Each time paper is recycled, the cellulose fibers get shorter and weaker. Paper can typically be recycled 5 to 7 times before the fibers become too short to hold together. After that, the material can be composted or used in lower-grade products.

Myth: It does not matter if my paper is wet -- the recycling plant uses water anyway.

Fact: Wet paper becomes moldy and loses fiber integrity before it reaches the plant. It also contaminates dry paper around it. Always keep your paper dry until collection day.

🌎 Environmental Impact

Paper recycling is one of the most impactful things individuals can do to reduce their environmental footprint. The numbers speak for themselves:

By the Numbers: Recycling 1 Ton of Paper

17 trees saved from being cut down
7,000 gallons of water conserved
380 gallons of oil not consumed
3.3 cubic yards of landfill space preserved
4,000 kWh of energy saved -- enough to power an average US home for 6 months
60 pounds of air pollutants kept out of the atmosphere

US Paper Recycling Statistics

The US recycling rate for paper and paperboard is approximately 68%, making it one of the most successfully recycled materials in the country.
Over 50 million tons of paper and paperboard are recovered for recycling each year in the United States.
Corrugated cardboard (OCC) has an even higher recovery rate of around 90%.
Recycling paper produces 70% less air pollution and uses 50% less water compared to making paper from virgin wood pulp.

What Happens to Your Recycled Paper?

Once collected, your paper goes through a fascinating transformation process:

Sorting: Paper is sorted by type and grade at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
Baling: Sorted paper is compressed into large bales for transport to paper mills.
Pulping: At the mill, paper is mixed with water and chemicals to break it down into a slurry of cellulose fibers.
De-inking: Inks, adhesives, and contaminants are removed through a series of screens and cleaning steps.
Refining and bleaching: The cleaned pulp is processed and sometimes bleached to achieve the desired brightness.
Papermaking: The pulp is spread onto screens, pressed, and dried into new sheets of paper or cardboard.

Recycled paper is turned into products like new cardboard boxes, newspaper, toilet paper, paper towels, egg cartons, and building insulation.

🌱 Reducing Paper Waste

While recycling paper is important, reducing paper use in the first place has an even bigger environmental impact. Here are practical ways to cut down on paper waste:

1

Go Paperless

Switch to electronic billing, bank statements, and receipts. Opt out of junk mail through services like DMAchoice.org or CatalogChoice.org.

2

Print Double-Sided

Set your printer defaults to duplex (double-sided) printing. This simple change cuts paper use in half for every document you print.

3

Use Digital Notes

Replace paper notebooks with note-taking apps or reusable smart notebooks. Share documents digitally instead of printing copies.

4

Reuse Before Recycling

Use the blank side of printed paper for scratch notes. Save boxes from deliveries to ship your own packages. Reuse gift bags and wrapping paper.

5

Buy Recycled Products

Choose paper products made from post-consumer recycled content. Look for FSC-certified paper that comes from responsibly managed forests.

6

Reduce Packaging

Choose products with minimal packaging. When ordering online, consolidate shipments to reduce the number of cardboard boxes you receive.

Did You Know?

The average American uses about 700 pounds of paper per year.
Junk mail alone accounts for about 100 million trees cut down each year in the US.
Paper makes up roughly 23% of all waste in US landfills -- more than any other single material.
Recycled paper requires 70% less energy to produce compared to virgin paper.
One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year -- every tree saved through recycling continues to clean our air.

Small Changes Add Up

If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25 million trees per year. By recycling paper at home, school, and work, you are making a measurable difference for forests, water systems, and the climate.