Can Laminated Paper Be Recycled

Surprisingly many paper based products commonly thought to be recyclable are in fact unsuitable for recycling.

Can laminated paper be recycled.

Most wax papers aluminum foil and packaging cannot be recycled for this reason. Once a paper based product is laminated its fibers can no longer be recycled and the product must be retired to a landfill. Laminated paper cannot be recycled in the usual way by a recycling plant. If laminated paper does end up at a paper recycling mill it can contaminate the rest of the recycled paper.

But the good news is that although you cannot recycle your shredded paper you can compost it. While the packaging is brilliant at keeping foods fresher for longer once aluminium foil paper and plastic have been laminated there s no easy way of getting them apart and recovering the materials. But you can recycle the paper by reusing it yourself at home. Include non laminated paper packaging which is typically recyclable at curbside.

There are many ways to reuse the paper so that it becomes a useful material in your home rather than sitting in a land fill. Unfortunately shredding paper shortens and weakens the length of the paper fiber which needs to be long and strong in order to be worth recycling. Therefore according to the earth911 website you should not put shredded paper in with your recycling. According to a report by the uk s confederation of paper industries paper mills would prefer not to receive plastic or metallised laminated board due to the extra expense they incur when handling and recycling it 3.

Best practices for recycling in order to recycle this waste stream properly please make sure all excess product has been removed. Laminated paper cannot be recycled in the usual way by a recycling plant. Check out their site and see what you could recycle today. Starting with your office paper products is a great way to get involved and become more sustainable and for the most part there are very few types of paper that can t be recycled.

Therefore it s important to use laminated paper sparingly and to re use it as much as possible before discarding it. But you can recycle the paper by reusing it yourself at home. You can even raise funds for your favourite charity or school at the same time. Paper and plastic cannot be recycled once mixed together because water is used to break down paper and heat is used to break down plastic.

You can encourage greater use of paper that can be recycled by attempting to purchase only recycled or recyclable items and by writing to businesses you frequent that don t use recyclable paper. Laminated paper is not recyclable.