Paper and Cardboard
Reduce
To begin with you can reduce the amount of paper waste in your home.
Here are some easy ways to start:
1. Sign up for electronic billing and avoid stop receiving as many of your bills by mail as possible. Getting and paying your bills online when possible eliminates the need for a stamp (and driving to the post office), and also skips all the paper from thicker statements and envelopes.
2. Read the news online instead of buying newspapers.
3. Buy recycled paper whenever possible. The future of recycling depends on there being a demand for the recycled product.
4. Try to perfect your documents before printing. Use your grammar and spell check tools and then use print preview to see what it will look like before you print.
5. Think before you print! Do you really need a printed copy of your document. If you do then try printing in the draft or economy mode which uses less ink and could save you money in the long run.
6. Replace paper cups, plates and napkins with washable, reusable cups and plates and cloth napkins.
7. Look into ways to stop junk or unsolicited mail.
Re-use
1. Reuse paper around the home as scrap paper or packing material. Much of our paper waste is only printed or used on one side and could be used to make shopping lists, take telephone messages etc on the other before it ends up in the recycling bin.
2. Try reusing envelopes. Use a sticky label to cover the old address and another to reseal it.
3. Schools and nurseries may be glad of old newspapers to cover the tables for craft activities.
4. Toilet rolls for peat pots - yes I'm serious! For the green fingered gardeners out there this can be a real money saver. We have lots of great ideas for recycling in the garden just take a look.
Re-cycle
This one is not too complicated. Most types of paper can be recycled. The paper needs to be dry, uncontaminated (ie not oil stained) and free from glue (note paperback books are not suitable and should be donated to charity shops of given away to friends).
What paper can you recycle?
Newspapers are the obvious starting point
Computer and copy paper
Cardboard
Magazines (remove the staples)
Junk Mail
Envelopes with the plastic windows can be recycled as long as you remove the plastic window. Leave the stamps on as they can be recycled.
Parchment paper (as in the kind you use for baking) - although this can be used more than once before you recycle it.
Wrapping paper (not the metallic kind)
Egg boxes
Cereal boxes
Greetings cards
Yellow Pages (most local authorities now accept them)
What paper can not be recycled?
Wax or plastic coated cardboard
Books - unfortunately the type of glue makes them unsuitable
Photographic paper
Shredded paper - this is because this can easily cause litter problems when being collected and sorted. It also reduces the quality of the paper as the shreds mean shorter fibres. This can be composted though as long as it is not shiny paper or shiny colored prints.
Milk or juice cartons as they have a plastic lining which would contaminate the process.
If you have any great ideas to reduce, reuse or recycle paper and cardboard then please tell us about them!
This one is not too complicated. Most types of paper can be recycled. The paper needs to be dry, uncontaminated (ie not oil stained) and free from glue (note paperback books are not suitable and should be donated to charity shops of given away to friends).
What paper can you recycle?
Newspapers are the obvious starting point
Computer and copy paper
Cardboard
Magazines (remove the staples)
Junk Mail
Envelopes with the plastic windows can be recycled as long as you remove the plastic window. Leave the stamps on as they can be recycled.
Parchment paper (as in the kind you use for baking) - although this can be used more than once before you recycle it.
Wrapping paper (not the metallic kind)
Egg boxes
Cereal boxes
Greetings cards
Yellow Pages (most local authorities now accept them)
What paper can not be recycled?
Wax or plastic coated cardboard
Books - unfortunately the type of glue makes them unsuitable
Photographic paper
Shredded paper - this is because this can easily cause litter problems when being collected and sorted. It also reduces the quality of the paper as the shreds mean shorter fibres. This can be composted though as long as it is not shiny paper or shiny colored prints.
Milk or juice cartons as they have a plastic lining which would contaminate the process.
If you have any great ideas to reduce, reuse or recycle paper and cardboard then please tell us about them!
- What are carbon emissions?
- How do I produce co2?
- How do I calculate my carbon footprint?
- How do I reduce my carbon footprint?
Check out these other eco buzzwords.
Follow the picture links above to get the basic facts on each particular subject.
