Where To Recycle Paper and Card

When the concept of recycling first came to prominance in the 1990s in the UK, one of the first things that the public became aware of recycling was paper and card.

Along with recycling glass bottles and tin cans, recycling paper products was championed in offices and schools, with collection points provided.

Recycling paper products is still one of the easiest ways to begin recycling, as it is widely collected in domestic recycling collections across the UK.

So if you have paper to recycle you can put into your household recycling bin, or into a separate box, depending upon who your local authority organises this.

What Paper And Card Can I Put In My Recycling Bin?

Most household paper recycling collections will accept clean paper, newspaper, grey card (such as cereal and other food packaging boxes) and corrugated cardboard, which is the sort of card used for boxes used for delivering parcels.

What other types of paper and card that you can put in your domestic recycling depends on your local council. For example, in some areas you can put books in your bin, but in other areas you will have to take these to your local recycling centre.

Items You Cannot Put In Your Paper Recycling

Paper that is dirty or greasy. So the wrappings of food such as takeaways have to do in your waste bin.
Padded envelopes lines with plastic bubble wrap. You will need to remove the bubble wrap and put the paper section in the recycling, and the plastic in your waste bin.
Books, catalogues and directories if these are not accepted in your area.
Shredded Paper is not recycled in many areas. If it is accepted it must be put in a paper bag before putting in your recycling bin. More about recycling shredded paper.
Takeaway cups such as those you buy coffee in. It is lined with plastic and therefore requires specialist recycling.
Greetings cards with glitter, googly eyes or other plastic attatchments. You can remove these decorations and recycling the plain parts of the card.

What Happens To The Paper I Put in My Recycling Bin?

If you put all your recycling in one bin, it will be taken to a recycling plant to be separated into paper, glass, metal, cartons and plastic containers.

The process of waste paper recycling usually involves mixing the used paper with water and chemicals to break it down.

It is then chopped up and heated, which breaks it down further into cellulose, which is a type of organic plant material.

This mixture is called pulp, or slurry, which is strained through screens to remove plastic, metal or other contamination that may still be in the mixture.

It is then cleaned, the ink removed, bleached, and then mixed with water. From this point it it can be made into new recycled paper.

This video explains the process.

More About Paper Recycling

How To Recycle Christmas Cards And Other Greetings Cards Here's how you can reuse and recycle greetings cards in the UK.
How To Recycle Books Lots of ideas for what you can do with your unwanted books as well as how to recycle books that are in poor condition.
10 Ways To Save Paper How to keep paper out of your recycling bin in the first place.

Paper and card are one of the easiest things to recycle in the UK, as it can be put in your household recycling collection pretty much across the whole country.

Anything that cannot be put in your recycling bin can be taken to your local household recycling centre for recycling. You can find out more about what you can recycling domestically and where to take items that cannot be put in your recycling bin from your local council website.

You can find out more about recyling and the environment in your area in our Recycling Near You section of our website.

Where To Recycle Paper and Card

What Paper And Card Can I Put In My Recycling Bin?

Items You Cannot Put In Your Paper Recycling

What Happens To The Paper I Put in My Recycling Bin?

More About Paper Recycling

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