Paper Recycling

The Green Team: Let’s look more closely at paper recycling. In an earlier newsletter we wrote that China formerly processed many recyclables, but they now require recycled material to be 99.5% free of contaminants.  We can meet those standards if we are more careful in our recycling.  

So what contaminates paper for recycling?  This is a list of things not to include in paper for recycling.
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• Anything like paper cups, paper napkins, paper straws or pizza boxes that has been in contact with food, even if clean.  Paper napkins, straws and pizza boxes may be composted, but many paper cups are coated on the inside with plastic. Ask whether paper items are compostable.  
• Receipts on heat treated paper that may be BPA coated such as gas station receipts.  The best idea with these is not to get them at all because BPA is transferred by contact with the skin.  BPA interferes with hormonal functions. Refuse receipts or get them electronically.
• Tissues even clean ones because the fibers are too short.  However, these can go into the compost. Cloth handkerchiefs are a great alternative.
• Photos.  Photos on cardstock are recyclable, but when on photo paper they are not.  Photo paper has a plastic layer to protect the print that will contaminate paper recycling.    
• Wax paper.  The waxes may be soy-based or paraffin-based.  Soybean wax is difficult for microbes to digest and paraffin is a petroleum product and you don’t want it in your soil. 
• Paper towels.  Like paper napkins, paper towels have fibers that are too short to recycle and they are used for cleanup.  They may be composted.
• Shredded paper.  Like paper towels and tissues the fibers in shredded paper are too short for recycling.  However, it may be composted.
• Foil backed paper.  Paper with foil backing like the inner wrapping of some chocolate bars that I like to eat.
• Sparkle and bling on greeting cards.  Paper greeting cards are recyclable, however, any foil, sparkle, ribbons or bling makes them not recyclable.  

The exclusions may seem impossible to remember, but they are reasonable when we look more closely at how things in our environment are made and think about their impact when they are no longer usable.
-Ella Ingraham, for the Green Team

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