Yes, paper and cardboard can be recycled together. Rumpke makes it as easy as possible to improve your recycling efforts. However, we do ask that you flatten as much of the cardboard as possible and check for any food stains first.
Paper & Cardboard Recycling
Do you know that paper and cardboard materials make up a significant portion of the waste in landfills? Recycling paper and cardboard is an easy way to positively impact the environment. That is part of our efforts to drastically reduce landfill waste. Rumpke is committed to helping you recycle more and waste less because we live in the communities we serve.
We know how important it is to have a safe and easy-to-follow recycling process that improves our local environment. Learn more about why recycling paper and cardboard is essential, tips for recycling at home, and the various residential and commercial service options for recycling we have available below.
Why it's Important to Recycle Paper & Cardboard
The national paper recycling rate has climbed to 68% of all US households and businesses. We want to do our part in improving those statistics for a more eco-friendly future our children’s children can enjoy.
When you take the time to recycle paper and cardboard materials, you are saving the natural resources we have in our ecosystem. This saves trees and energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and conserves landfill space.
Not only does this benefit our planet, but it opens up new jobs and business opportunities. By recycling paper and cardboard, we can create new recycled product developments while reducing the need for virgin paper and cardboard materials. Like every other technological advance in our history, this is a fantastic opportunity to improve our economy while saving our environment.
Paper & Cardboard Recycling Tips
- Flatten cardboard boxes to save space in your recycling bin and make life a bit easier for our collection experts.
- Remove any plastic wrapping or styrofoam packaging from any cardboard you are recycling.
- Avoid getting paper products wet. This can reduce their recyclability.
- Don't put shredded paper in your recycling bin. This can jam recycling equipment and contaminate other recyclables.
- Keep recycling paper and cardboard as clean and dry as possible.
- Don’t worry about the sticky tape from packaging unless it is excessive.
- Be sure to remove any wrapping from magazines or newspapers.
- Cut out food stains left from oil, cheese, or other ingredients before recycling.
Paper & Cardboard Recycling Options
Our single-stream program also makes it easier to manage all acceptable items to recycle, such as recycling glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans, and steel cans and lids. Rumpke recycling centers can accommodate an array of plastic items.
Residential
Rumpke offers curbside recycling for paper and cardboard in designated areas for your convenience. We also have collection sites for paper and cardboard recycling and a range of recycling containers based on your needs for day-to-day life, moving out, or when you're making changes to your home.
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Businesses
We also work directly with commercial clients to ensure easy-to-use paper and cardboard recycling. We offer everything from small-volume rolling carts placed outside for curbside collection to compactor services that reduce waste scavenging and odors from your business location.
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Recycling Audit
Everything starts with our professional waste and recycling audit to determine your needs before developing a comprehensive waste management and recycling plan. We’ll examine your current practice, perform an audit, and then assess opportunities for improvement to provide sustainable solutions and help save your business money.
Paper & Cardboard FAQ
Can paper & cardboard be recycled together?
Can I put paper & cardboard in my recycling bin?
Yes, you can put paper and cardboard in your recycling bin. No separation is required, and we request you do not use plastic bags to differentiate your various recyclable materials.
What's the best way to recycle paper & cardboard?
The best way to recycle paper and cardboard is to keep them clean, dry and flatten cardboard boxes as much as possible. Please be sure to keep a lookout for grease stains. We accept pizza boxes as long as they have been checked for excess oil or food leftovers. Learn more about how to best recycle pizza boxes.
Can I recycle shredded paper?
While shredded paper can be recycled, it's best to avoid putting it in your recycling bin because it has the potential to harm our equipment or is too thin to separate out at our facilities. In addition, shredded paper can quickly become windblown and contaminate other materials in the recycling process.
What types of paper and cardboard can be recycled?
Rumpke is happy to accept most paper products, including:
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Cardboard
- Mixed office paper and envelopes
- Shopping catalogs
- Paper cups (please discard lids, straws, and stoppers)
- Food and Beverage cartons that have been emptied
- Cleaned pizza boxes
- Packaging materials
- And other similar items that have been flattened, checked for food stains, and placed in the recycling container
What paper & cardboard cannot be recycled?
While we do our best at Rumpke to accept as much as possible to improve our environmental impact, some items do not work well in the recycling process that includes:
- Contaminated paper and cardboard, such as pizza boxes with food residue or paper with wax or plastic coatings
- Paper and cardboard recycling placed into plastic bags
- Foam and plastic shipping materials
- Excessive tape on cardboard boxes
- Cardboard that has not been properly broken down first
- Shredded paper
If you have a question about whether your paper and recycling items are accepted by our expert technicians at Rumpke, please contact our team at 1-(800)-828-8171.
Should I bundle paper for recycling?
No, you do not need to bundle paper for recycling. We have advanced sorting systems at our facilities that will do that work for you. Please go ahead and mix your paper and cardboard, plastic, glass, and other recyclables together. Our team at Rumpke works with glass recycling, plastic recycling, and more and is equipped to handle the needs of our clients and community.
Recycling Education
Interested in educating yourself further on waste and recycling processes? Click below and continue learning! At Rumpke, we believe educating our community is the key to working together for a sustainable future.
You can even contact us if you have any specific questions or concerns about Rumpke's recycling services.