Paper Recycling

As an office, the material we seem to use the most is paper.  And beyond just copying & printing, there are also paper towels, paper napkins, those boxes that microwave lunches come in, etc.  Sometimes its hard to know what is and is not recyclable (and why), and what the benefits are.

We'll start with what IS recyclable here in Sandy, follow-up tomorrow with the benefits of paper recycling, and finally discuss on Thursday options to replace the non-recyclable paper materials we use:

Please put the following IN the recycling bins!
Copy paper (ideally used on both sides; staples, spiral bindings & paper clips are OK)
Glossy magazines
Newspaper
Envelopes with windows
Junk Mail
Catalogs & Phone books
Paper Bags
Cardboard Boxes
Egg cartons
Paper back books
Tetra packs, aseptic milk cartons, & juice boxes (rise out, do not flatten, remove all plastic lids, etc)
Sticky-notes (the adhesive is water-based & dissolves in the recycling process)
Amy's frozen food boxes (these are the only known frozen food box that do not contain the wet-strength chemical)
Beer & soda cartons
Shredded paper - in paper bags

The following items are NOT recyclable. (I've indicated the reasoning in parentheses)

- Paper towels, toilet paper, tissues
(These often contain wet-strength chemical additives, as well as usually being made with a fairly high percentage of recycled paper, so the fibers in paper towels are too short to be woven into new paper products.  BUT they CAN be composted!  For my sake, please don't put toilet paper or tissues in the office compost, though - paper towels are OK!)

- Label backing sheets (i.e. the non-stick "paper" that sheets of labels are stuck to)
(The plastic coating on these does not break down in the recycling process)

- Anything with food on it
(Grease from the pizza, food, etc. seeps into the paper or cardboard which makes it unrecyclable, stained fibers, gross-factor, etc)

- Cardboard-type food containers that are stored in the fridge or freezer EXCEPT Amy's organics boxes.
(These contain a chemical called wet-strength which prevents them from falling apart in cold, moist environments.  This also keeps them from being recyclable.  Check out the following link for more information!
http://www.enviromom.com/2009/02/portland-more-on-those-freezer-boxes.html).

- Plastic coated envelopes
(Plastic)

- Paper cups & plates
(Often these have a wax or plastic coating, are made with short fibers that can't be reused, or are contaminated with food - see the note above on food-contaminated paper)

I am going to follow-up to find out if carbonless paper (i.e. the paper we use for receipts, building inspections, etc) is recyclable.  I'll update this when I know more!  [EDIT:  The answer is YES, this is recyclable!]