Recycling can be a confusing issue for many. In addition, different municipalities accept different items, making it more and more challenging to figure out what is and what isn't able to be recycled.
Most people want to recycle correctly, but the confusion associated with recycling makes it hard to get started. Reach out to companies that provide paper recycling in New Jersey for local info on recycling your paper products responsibly.
The most important thing to remember for recycling paper is that there can be no contamination in the recycling bin. This means that if your area has you store all items together, bottles and cans must be emptied of all liquids, and containers like pasta jars or yogurt containers should be rinsed out. Any food, soda, beer, or other contaminants that get on paper render it unrecyclable and can ruin an entire bale.
With a vast amount of online shopping happening in America, we have more cardboard boxes than ever before. These boxes are entirely recyclable. It is not required to remove the tape and the labels, but it is essential to break down the boxes. Before recycling cardboard boxes, it might be helpful to check with local businesses and see if they will accept your boxes for their own shipping needs. This helps boxes be reused and allows us to keep resources in play for as long as possible before recycling them. It is also responsible for reducing the number of products that are being consumed that come in cardboard boxes. Then reuse whatever cardboard boxes we receive as many times as possible. Only when we can no longer use the cardboard box should we send it for recycling.
Nearly all paper can be recycled as long as it is free of contaminants. Even crumpled-up paper is recyclable.
Shredded paper is an exception to the rule. It cannot be recycled because the fibers have been shortened too much, and the tiny shreds can jam machinery and contaminate other recyclable materials. However, shredded paper can be used as packing material for fragile items or gift baskets for holiday gifts.
Receipts are also an exception to the rule because they are coated with BPA and cannot be recycled or composted.
Magazines are recyclable material, but many artists and schools use magazines for art projects. See if they can reuse them before sending them off for recycling. You can donate newer magazines to hospitals, shelters, libraries, and nursing homes.
In most cases, pizza boxes are too greasy to be recycled, so it can be helpful to separate the lid and the bottom of your pizza box. The oily base of the pizza box can be composted, and you can recycle the top of the pizza box as long as it is grease-free.
Similar to shredded paper, the fibers are too short in paper towels and napkins to be recycled.
Newsprint is entirely recyclable and can also be used for projects like paper mache or wrapping gifts.
We are here to help consumers better understand the methods of paper recycling in New Jersey, so please let us know how we can help you today.
