In 2022, more than 1.6 million tons of paper were recycled in Spain, almost 78% of the paper and cardboard used for packaging. In fact, each person in Spain separated 27.1 kilos of household containers and packaging, of which 20.4 kilos corresponded to paper and cardboard; This increased the percentage of the previous year by 4.5%. Thus, Spain already meets in advance the objective set by the EU for 2025. At the same time, this makes Spain the second country that recycles the most paper and cardboard in Europe, after Germany.
These data are favorable and demonstrate that we are undoubtedly understanding the fundamental role that each of us play in the correct use of our natural resources, and we must congratulate ourselves as a country for this milestone. With adequate information and together, we can even improve these results. Information is very necessary when we buy different types of paper and, of course, when organizing materials for recycling in our home.
And there are so many varieties of uses that we give to paper that, when it comes to managing paper waste, there are still times when we have doubts about what paper is or is not recyclable and where to deposit it properly.
Therefore, is this small guide, we are going to look closer at whitch types of paper are recyclable and which are not. As a general rule, all types of paper that do not contain other elements apart from cellulose, which is the main material for the production of paper and cardboard, can always be recycled. Thus, they will always be recyclable :
√ Writing and office paper, paper sheet, notebooks, books…etc. It is estimated than, on average, an office worker consumes about 10.000 pages each year. Avoiding it as much as possible is in our hands, such as reusing paper before sending to recycling.
√ Newspapers, magazines. Newsprint is low weight and its recycling tradition is old : in the mid-1800s the paper used was 100% recycled, since it was made with cotton rag.
√ Advertising brochures and pamphlets.
√ Paper packaging, Kraft paper, paper bags and cardboard boxes; according to the European Federation of Corrugated Cardboard Manufacturers, 83% of paper and cardboard packaging is recycled. If these come sealed with gummed paper tape, it will not be necessary to separate anything, since both the packaging and its seal are made with a single the same type of material.
We usually find special cases: for example, envelopes for sending letters; they are simply recycled when they do not have a ‘window’, but i twill be necessary to remove these plastic elements if we want to deposit them in the blue trash dumpster.
As a general rule, all types of paper that do not contain other elements apart from cellulose can always be recycled. |
By understanding the paper recycling process well, it will be easy to deduce that all types of paper that contain elements foreign to cellulose that constitutes their base and that cannot be separated or eliminated, not can be recycled. Thus :
× Paper impregnated with dirt: for example, food, grease, fluids or other stains. If, If, in this case, it is possible to remove only the part contaminated with dirt, it should be done by depositing the clean part in the blue dumpster.
× Toilet paper and paper napkins, for obvious reasons. They are biodegradable, but also sanitary waste. However, when these types of paper have only been wetted with water, we will be dealing with recyclable paper.
× Papers coated with wax, paraffin, plastic or aluminum; here the external substances are inseparable from the cellulose.
× Self-copy paper or carbon paper, thermal paper, and photographic paper: tracing paper, shopping receipts or accounts, office faxes, photographs...etc. They are covered in layers of chemicals inseparable from the cellulose fiber, so they cannot be recycled. Better to use substitutes when we have a choice.
× Adhesive papers: self-adhesive tapes, stickers, post-its… Their recycling will depend on the chemical used as adhesive. Here it will be necessary to resort to separating the adhesive part when possible; if it is not, it is preferable to discard it as non-recyclable, so as not to complicate the process.
Kraft gummed paper tape (WAT) is fully recyclable and 100% biodegradable. As starch is used as adhesive, it promotes recycling as it is a basic element in paper production process. |
It is very important not to mix recyclable paper and cardboard with other waste and other types of non-recyclable paper, to avoid problems in the recycling process: the quantities that can be recycled and the quality of the recycled paper will depend on this. Let us remember that recycling a ton of paper saves approximately 2.000 kg of wood and about 15.000 liters of water; and that it is possible to repeat the process many times before the fiber loses its integrity.
The use of paper in so many areas is traditional and sustainable. In Spain we are achieving high levels of paper and cardboard recycling; the more information we have in this regard, the more we can improve recycling figures and their quality, for our environment and for a more rational and sustainable world.
If you want more details on the recyclability of paper and cardboard, visit us on Instagram.