How does your waste paper get recycled?

As one of the UK’s largest waste streams, paper is used across virtually all industries in one form or another. However, as new paper requires the felling of planet-preserving trees, what happens to paper once it has fulfilled its purpose has a big impact.

By recycling paper, we can all make a very real difference to the existential threat of deforestation as well as saving energy and water, cutting carbon emissions and even reducing the financial cost of business waste disposal.

In this article, phs Wastekit looks at what’s involved in paper recycling and how businesses can efficiently and easily recycle their paper waste.

What type of paper is recyclable?

Nearly all types of waste paper can be recycled. This includes newspapers, magazines, catalogues, phone books, notebooks, receipts, leaflets, flyers, letters, envelopes, manuals, folders, office paper, printer and photocopy paper, food cartons and product packaging.

What paper cannot be recycled?

As a rule, paper must be generally clean for paper waste recycling so it does not contaminate any new products. For instance, paper must be free of any plastic film, wax coatings, glitter and foil. Laminated paper cannot be recycled.

Any dirty or greasy paper cannot be recycled as it causes an oil to form during the pulping process. Despite washing, the paper fibres do not separate from the oils which results in poor quality recycled paper which will have holes within it.

Window envelopes can be recycled as the plastic film can be separated at the recycling plant.

Some companies do recycle post-it notes as they are able to remove the sticky backing, but it’s worth checking prior to your paper recycling collection so you know they can be accepted. The same applies to gift wrap – providing it is plastic free and contains no embellishments such as glitter.

Shredded paper can be recycled but is not taken by all paper mills as the shredding process weakens the paper and it can cause issues at mills, getting stuck in the machinery. Again, check with your recycler in advance. Tissue paper and tissues have short fibres to make it thin, so cannot be recycled.

What is the process for recycling waste paper?

Waste paper is collected from businesses and residential properties for recycling.
The paper goes through a sorting process, separating it into different categories and types before being baled and sent to a paper mill.
Large quantities of water are added to help break down the paper into fibres, creating a raw material known as pulp or slurry. This is called the pulping process.
The pulp mixture is screened to remove any staples, paperclips and tape.
The pulp is washed to remove any contaminants which could include ink, dyes, glue and film. This improves the purity of the paper pulp.
Before progressing, materials can be added depending on what paper products are being produced, such as newspaper or office paper. Dyes are also added for coloured paper.
At this stage, the pulp is predominantly water so it then goes through a drying process. This includes pressing and squeezing the water out through rollers and drying it through heated rollers.
Eventually it is rolled into large thin sheets of recycled paper, ready to be created into new paper products.
Once the new paper product is ready to be disposed of, it can be recycled which starts off the process all over again. On average, paper can be recycled between five and seven times before the fibres become unusable.

What are the benefits of recycling paper?

There are several benefits of recycling paper. The biggest is that it reduces demand for raw paper products, resulting in less trees needing to be cut down for paper production. It’s estimated that 42% of all global wood harvest is used to make paper and deforestation is a major environmental issue. Planting new trees helps but this cannot substitute virgin rainforest or ancient woodlands which are lost for paper production. However, recycling one tonne of paper can save 17 trees. By tracking your recycling rates, you can report back to your business and customers how many trees you are saving each year through your recycling efforts.

What’s more, recycling paper not only reduces the number of trees destroyed but for every tonne recycled, it also saves around 26,500 litres of water and 1,400 litres of oil – and that’s in addition to the carbon produced and energy used during the production process too. Friends of the Earth report that it takes 40% less energy to recycle paper than it does to make it from raw materials.

What do I need to do to recycle paper?

The process to recycle waste paper starts with you as a business. Without your commitment, waste paper would simply be thrown away and sent to landfill rather than being given another life through recycling. Fortunately, by making a few simple adaptions to your waste paper management process, recycling paper is simple, easy and has numerous benefits not only for the environment but for you as a business too.

Your role includes:

Separating paper from other waste streams on your premises for waste paper recycling
Arranging waste paper collections from an authorised recycling paper company

You can make your life easier – and potentially make money – by using waste compactors and balers on site. If you produce large amounts of paper waste, compactors help to compact it so that it takes up less space which makes it easier to store and can also reduce the frequency of your collections which will cut costs. In addition, a baler will transform your potentially messy and bulky paper waste into neat, easy to transport bales which are much more attractive for paper collection. This process can even potentially generate you a new revenue stream as recyclers who collect paper for recycling are willing to pay for properly segregated and baled paper waste.

How can phs Wastekit help?

If you’re looking for advice on your recycling needs, speak to phs Wastekit. We have more than 35 years’ experience in supplying quality compactors, balers and waste handling accessories to help companies reach their recycling targets. Our range of compactors and balers are available to hire or for outright purchase and we also offer a free WASTESAVINGAUDIT to help businesses cut costs, improve safety, realise efficiencies and boost their environmental credentials throughout their waste management processes. This even includes a free, no-obligation trial of our compactors and balers. Don’t hesitate in speaking to us today.