Can I recycle this? How to know which papers can be recycled?
How do you know which paper items can be recycled?
Can you recycle paper envelopes that have the plastic windows? The answer is YES! You can recycle most paper items, as long as they are clean, even if they contain a little bit of plastic as the chances are that the plastic is also recyclable. See my post which plastic items can be recycled here.
Here is a full list of which paper and cardboard items CAN be recycled.
Why not print it out and stick it to your fridge door as a handy reminder?
- Books
- Boxes/cardboard (no waxed boxes like fruit boxes)
- Brochures
- Cartons
- Cards (birthday, christmas, greeting)
- Cereal boxes
- Deli/ butchers paper
- Egg cartons
- Envelopes (including with plastic windows)
- Juice cartons (including poppers)
- Junk mail
- Magazines
- Milk cartons
- Newspapers
- Paper (office)
- Paper bags
- Paper plates (clean)
- Paper towel roll
- Stock and sauce cartons
- Phone books
- Pizza boxes (check with your local council first!)
- Postcards
- Tissue boxes
- Toilet paper rolls
- Washing powder boxes
- Wrapping paper
Can you recycle pizza boxes?
Pizza boxes: It’s important to note that not all councils will accept pizza boxes as part of their recycling process. This is because pizza is usually greasy and cheesy pizza residue has usually soiled the cardboard.
The easiest way to double check whether your council accepts pizza boxes for recycling them would be to visit RecyclingNearYou.com.au (Australian residents) to find out.
Tip: If your local council won’t accept pizza boxes for recycling, simply add them into your compost bin or create a little shade cloth for worm your farm [1]