Is Paper Recyclable? What Recycling Facilities Need to Know

Mark Yates
Apr 1
8 min read

Most everyday paper is recyclable as long as it’s clean, dry, and free from food, grease, or heavy coatings. When paper isn’t contaminated, its fibers can be recovered and turned into new paper-based products multiple times, which makes it one of the most widely recycled materials in homes and workplaces. In this article, we’ll look at what types of paper can and cannot be recycled, how the paper recycling process works, and how baling and bale ties help move paper efficiently through the recycling stream.

Is Paper Recyclable? What You Need to Know for Proper Paper Recycling

Paper is recyclable in most communities, and it’s one of the simplest materials to keep out of landfills. Paper is made from fibers (typically wood fibers) that can be broken down and reused to make new paper products. Each time paper is recycled, those fibers get shorter and weaker, but they can usually be recycled several times before they become too degraded to use.

The key to making paper truly recyclable is keeping it clean and properly sorted. When paper is soaked with grease, coated in certain plastics or waxes, or mixed with non-paper materials, it can contaminate recycling loads and may be rejected by recycling facilities. By understanding which paper products belong in your recycling bin—and how they’re handled after collection—you can help support a more efficient and sustainable recycling system.

Is Paper Recyclable?

In most cases, yes—paper is recyclable, and it’s accepted in curbside and commercial recycling programs across North America. From cardboard boxes and office paper to magazines and mail, a wide range of paper products can be collected, processed, and turned into new materials.

Paper is recyclable because its fibers can be separated, cleaned, and re-formed into new sheets. During recycling, used paper is turned into pulp, contaminants are removed, and the recovered fibers are blended into new paper products. However, successful recycling depends on a few important factors:

Cleanliness: Paper that’s heavily soiled with food, grease, oil, or other contaminants often cannot be recycled.
Coatings and treatments: Waxes, laminates, plastic films, and metallic finishes can make some paper difficult to process.
Sorting: Mixing paper with non-paper materials (like plastic bags, metal, or glass) can slow down processing and lower the quality of recycled fiber.

What Types of Paper Can Be Recycled?

Many common paper products used in homes, offices, and businesses are recyclable when they’re clean and dry. Depending on your local program, these often include:

Cardboard and corrugated boxes – Shipping boxes, packaging boxes, and many retail cartons (flattened and free of food residue).
Newspapers and inserts – Daily newspapers, advertising inserts, and newsprint-based materials.
Magazines and catalogs – Glossy magazines, catalogs, and brochures that aren’t laminated with plastic.
Office paper and printer paper– White and colored copy paper, printer paper, and notepaper without plastic bindings.
Envelopes and mail – Standard envelopes (including those with plastic windows, in many programs), letters, and flyers.
Paper bags– Grocery bags, retail paper bags, and many kraft paper sacks.

Recycling rules can vary slightly by municipality or hauler, so it’s always a good idea to check local guidelines for specific materials like glossy paper, window envelopes, and paper with labels or adhesives.

What Paper Cannot Be Recycled?

Some paper-based products cannot be recycled because they’re too contaminated, contain mixed materials, or are manufactured with coatings that don’t break down in the recycling process. Common examples include:

Greasy or food-soiled paper – Pizza boxes soaked with grease, paper plates covered in food, and oily takeout containers can contaminate clean paper.
Wax-coated or heavily lined paper – Some produce boxes, freezer paper, and certain takeout containers are coated to resist moisture and may not be accepted.
Paper towels, napkins, and tissues – These products are typically made from lower-grade fibers and are often contaminated with food or bodily fluids.
Thermal receipts – Many receipts are printed on thermal paper, which can contain chemicals that make them unsuitable for recycling.
Laminated, metallic, or glitter paper– Gift wrap with foil, glitter, or plastic laminates, as well as some decorative cards, are usually not recyclable.

When in doubt, check with your local recycling provider. Placing non-recyclable paper into the recycling stream can lower material quality and increase processing costs.

Can Paper Be Placed in a Recycling Bin?

In most homes and workplaces, paper can go directly into a designated recycling bin with a few basic preparation steps. Following these simple guidelines can help ensure your paper actually gets recycled:

Keep paper clean and dry: Store recycling away from liquids, food waste, and outdoor moisture. Wet, dirty paper is more likely to be discarded.
Remove obvious contaminants: Take off plastic wrap, bubble mailers, food scraps, or non-paper inserts whenever possible. Small staples or paper clips are usually acceptable, but large non-paper items should be removed.
Flatten boxes: Break down cardboard boxes to save space in bins and make collection more efficient.
Follow local instructions: Some programs may request that shredded paper be contained in paper bags, or that certain grades of paper be bundled separately. Always follow the specific guidance from your municipality or recycling hauler.

By preparing paper correctly before it goes into the bin, households, offices, and industrial facilities can help recycling systems run more smoothly.

How the Paper Recycling Process Works

Once paper leaves your home, office, or facility, it enters a multi-step process designed to recover usable fibers and turn them into new products. While every mill and material recovery facility (MRF) operates a little differently, the paper recycling process generally includes these stages:

Collection: Paper is collected from curbside bins, commercial locations, and industrial sites, then transported to a recycling or sorting facility.
Sorting: At the facility, paper is sorted by type and grade—cardboard, mixed paper, office paper, and newsprint may be separated to optimize processing and end-use quality.
Baling: Once sorted, paper is compressed into dense, uniform bales using industrial balers. Each bale is secured with bale ties or baling wire for safe handling and transport.
Pulping: At the paper mill, bales are broken open and mixed with water in a pulper. This process breaks the paper down into a slurry of fibers.
Cleaning and de-inking: Contaminants like staples, plastic, adhesives, inks, and coatings are removed through screening, flotation, and washing steps.
Papermaking: The cleaned pulp is blended, spread onto screens, pressed, and dried to form new paper sheets. These sheets can be converted into a wide range of finished products.

Understanding these steps highlights why cleanliness, proper sorting, and secure transport of paper are so important in the recycling system.

What Products Are Made From Recycled Paper?

Recycled paper fibers can be used to create many everyday products found in homes, offices, and businesses. Common examples include:

Cardboard boxes and corrugated packaging – A major use for recycled fiber, especially from old corrugated containers (OCC).
Paper bags and sacks – Grocery bags, shopping bags, and industrial kraft bags often include recycled content.
Protective packaging materials – Paper-based void fill, padded mailers, and molded fiber packaging.
Office and printing paper – Many grades of copy paper and printing sheets contain a percentage of recycled content.
Tissue and towel products – Paper towels, napkins, and tissues often rely on recovered fiber from office paper and mixed paper streams.

By purchasing products made with recycled content, businesses and consumers help close the loop and support the demand for recovered paper.

Why Paper Recycling Matters

Paper recycling delivers benefits that go beyond keeping bins from overflowing. When done efficiently and at scale, it supports both environmental and operational goals:

Reduces landfill waste: Diverting paper from landfills keeps valuable fiber in circulation and helps extend landfill capacity.
Conserves natural resources: Using recycled fiber can reduce the need for virgin wood pulp, helping to conserve forests and other natural resources.
Lowers energy and water use: Producing paper from recycled fiber generally uses less energy and water than manufacturing from raw materials.
Supports circular material systems: By repeatedly using fibers, the industry builds more resilient, circular supply chains instead of linear “take-make-dispose” models.

For companies that generate significant volumes of paper waste—such as distribution centers, printers, and recycling facilities—well-managed paper recycling can also improve material handling efficiency and reduce disposal costs.

How Paper Is Prepared for Recycling Facilities

Before paper reaches a recycling mill, it typically passes through a material recovery facility or an in-house recycling operation where it’s sorted and prepared for shipment. One of the most important preparation steps is baling.

In this stage, loose paper and cardboard are:

Sorted by grade or type to meet mill specifications.
Loaded into industrial balers that compress the material into dense, uniform bales.
Secured with bale ties or baling wire to keep each bale intact.

Baling dramatically improves storage and transport efficiency. Dense bales take up less space in warehouses and trailers, allow for more consistent loads, and reduce the risk of loose materials shifting during transit. For high-volume generators and recycling centers, effective baling is essential to move paper safely and cost-effectively through the recycling chain.

How Bale Ties Help Secure Paper for Recycling

Once paper has been compressed into bales, it must remain tightly bound from the time it leaves the baler until it’s processed at the mill. This is where **bale ties and baling wire** play a critical role.

Bale ties:

Maintain bale integrity so compressed paper doesn’t expand or break apart.
Improve safety by reducing loose materials and stabilizing loads during handling, stacking, and shipping.
Support consistent bale density, which helps recyclers and mills manage storage, transportation, and processing more predictably.

For paper recyclers, choosing the right bale tie solution is important to keep operations efficient and to meet the specifications required by downstream partners.

Choosing the Right Bale Ties for Paper Recycling

Different recycling operations use different types of balers and handle a wide range of paper grades and bale sizes. As a result, the most effective bale tie solution can vary from facility to facility. Common options include:

Single-loop bale ties: Often used with vertical balers for securing bales of cardboard, mixed paper, and other recyclables. Their design allows operators to easily thread and secure the tie by hand.
Double-loop bale ties: Pre-formed with loops on both ends for quick, consistent closure—commonly used where uniform bale sizes and fast changeovers are a priority.
Automatic baler wire: Designed for use in horizontal and two-ram balers, this wire is fed automatically through the baler’s tying system to secure high-volume, continuous operations.

Selecting the right type, gauge, and finish of tie or wire depends on your baler type, bale size, material density, and operating environment. A reliable wire supplier can help match your paper recycling application with the most efficient and secure bale tie solution.

FAQs About Recyclable Paper

Is paper recyclable?

Yes. Most paper is recyclable as long as it’s clean, dry, and free from heavy contamination like grease or food residue. Common items such as cardboard boxes, newspapers, magazines, office paper, and envelopes are widely accepted in recycling programs.

What paper cannot be recycled?

Paper that is heavily contaminated or made with certain coatings is typically not recyclable. This includes greasy pizza boxes, food-soiled paper plates, wax-coated or heavily lined papers, paper towels and tissues, thermal receipts, and laminated or glitter-covered gift wrap.

Can shredded paper be recycled?

Shredded paper can sometimes be recycled, but rules vary by program. Because the fibers are shorter and the pieces are small, some facilities ask that shredded paper be placed in a labeled paper bag or taken to specific drop-off locations. Check with your local recycling provider for their requirements.

How many times can paper be recycled?

Paper fibers can usually be recycled several times—often up to five to seven cycles—before they become too short to form new paper on their own. At that point, they’re typically combined with fresh (virgin) fibers to maintain product strength and quality.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Most paper is recyclable when it’s clean, dry, and properly sorted, making it one of the most important materials to keep out of landfills. From your home or workplace recycling bin to the paper mill, effective sorting, baling, and secure handling all help ensure that paper fibers are recovered and reused as many times as possible.

For recycling operations and businesses that generate high volumes of paper, the right baling wire and bale ties are essential to maintaining bale integrity, improving storage and transport efficiency, and keeping materials moving reliably through the recycling system.

If your facility handles large quantities of paper and cardboard, consider reviewing your current baling and tying setup. Eastern Wire Products offers a full range of bale ties and baling wire solutions designed to support efficient, high-performance paper recycling operations. To learn more or to discuss the best options for your baler and material mix, contact our team or request a quote today.