The world has gone digital, you say? Tell it to the people who dispose of your paper. As they well know, paper is still everywhere. Paper makes up about one quarter of all trash in the U.S., according to the EPA, and nearly 20 million tons of mixed paper ends up landfilled each year. But there’s good news too – paper also has one of the highest recycling rates of all materials. Where does your business land? Does the paper you generate end up in a landfill, or does it find new life as recycled material? Recycling mixed paper is one of the easiest ways your business can do its part for the environment, but only if you know how. Incorrectly recycling mixed paper can do more harm than good.
Do: Use Dedicated Bins for Mixed Paper
The best way to encourage everyone at your workplace to recycle properly is to provide plenty of highly visible, clearly marked recycling containers. It should be made obvious to everyone in your workplace that paper doesn’t belong in the same containers as your other recyclables.
Providing bins also discourages employees from collecting their recyclable paper in plastic bags for disposal. While these bags are handy for containing and transporting old junk mail and newspapers, they cause problems for recyclers and should be disposed of separately from your mixed paper.
Don’t: Wishcycle Contaminated Paper
Paper that gets wet or dirty generally can’t be recycled. Some well-meaning people throw everything made of a recyclable material into the recycling bin, regardless of condition, because they hope these items can be recycled. It only takes one oily or soaked sheet of paper to contaminate an entire bin full of recyclables.
Only clean, dry paper is appropriate for mixed paper recycling. Greasy pizza boxes, food-stained delivery menus and used paper cups should be disposed of in the trash. You may want to hang signs in the kitchen clarifying that paperboard boxes made to go in the freezer should not be put in the mixed paper recycling bin. Frozen food boxes are coated with plastic and belong in the trash.
Do: Keep Fasteners and Packaging Separate
The equipment used by many recycling facilities can handle separating staples from paper, so it’s probably not strictly necessary that your staff be trained to remove staples. That’s really the only type of fastener that can be included in a mixed paper recycling bin. Things like paper clips, binder clips, metal rings and spiral bindings should all be removed from paper before it’s recycled. When recycling office supplies that mix paper with plastic or metal components – like plastic-tabbed file folders or file folders with metal hangers – remove any non-paper pieces and discard them separately.
Another thing to watch for is inconsistency in the way employees dispose of envelopes and paper or cardboard packaging. Standard envelopes with plastic address windows can generally be recycled with other mixed paper, even if the plastic windows aren’t removed. Padded envelopes are sometimes recyclable, but not envelopes made with bubble padding or plastic coatings. They belong in the trash. Plastic wrappings on magazines and catalogues should be removed before these items are recycled.
Don’t: Mix Shredded Paper With Whole Paper
It may seem counterintuitive, but many recycling facilities can’t recycle shredded paper. The tiny pieces are difficult to contain and process, so it may be more financially efficient for a recycler to landfill any shredded paper that ends up in its facility. Make sure employees know not to toss any shredded paper or materials like paper confetti into the mixed paper recycling.
If your recycling vendor does have the capacity to recycle shredded paper, this paper should still be sorted differently. Collect shredded paper in paper bags for recycling, or if your workplace generates a lot of shreds, establish a separate bin just for this paper. Even better, avoid the question of how to dispose of your shredded sensitive documents by outsourcing your shredding needs to a data destruction company. Not only will you no longer have to do your own shredding, but the shredding company will also manage the recycling of all those thousands of tiny pieces.
Working directly with a recycling company allows you to spend less time thinking about whether your business is being environmentally responsible, or whether you’re complying with the recycling guidelines established by your municipality. In fact, it allows you to spend less time thinking about waste and recycling altogether. Let Miller Recycling assess your needs, deliver the containers you need and handle the recycling of your mixed paper. Our sister company, Northeast Data Destruction, can also provide the confidential shredding services that help you keep your company’s data secure.
Miller Recycling is here to make mixed paper recycling easy for your business. Contact us today to get started.