You shred your paper and send it off with your curbside collections, figuring it will turn back into another paper product. That’s not always the case. 

Per the EPA, paper and paperboard generation reached 67.4 million tons in 2018. Only 68.2% of that paper was properly recycled. A total of 4.2 million tons went right to incinerators, while 17.2 million tons ended up in landfills.

Many believe that cutting and shredding paper is best. It’s not always the case. Some of that confusion lies with the steps area material recovery facilities (MRFs) require of customers. My area district requires shredded paper to be placed in clear plastic bags and brought directly to them. They do not accept it in either curbside container. What happens after that?

The Basics of Recycling Full Sheets of Paper

Your paper is with the MRF. The MRF has workers and machines that sort materials. Machines with optical scanners often need paper pieces to be of a certain size for them to correctly identify a material. 

If it’s too small or cannot be identified, it will go to the trash. Another issue is that smaller pieces may fall through screens and stick to other materials like glass jars or plastic containers. That contaminates those recycled items.

To prevent contamination or loss, most facilities require shredded paper to be placed in clear plastic bags for easy identification. It prevents paper scraps from damaging equipment or contaminating other recyclables. The paper gets sorted and set to the next stage.

1. Create a Slurry

Paper is mixed with chemicals and water to break down the cellulose strands in a slurry or paper pulp. Ideally, fibers of 3 to 4 millimeters provide better structure for new paper products. Shredded paper has been cut so that fibers tend to be 1 millimeter long, which makes it harder for the cellulose fibers to bond.

Longer strands turn into high-quality paper items, which is why shredding can be detrimental to recycling. However, shredding is better when it comes to privacy and data security, so you need to consider the importance of privacy vs. the importance of recycling and decide which is most important to you.

2. Clean the Slurry

The slurry passes through sieves to remove any foreign items. Even with the best intentions, a staple or paper clip may not be removed before the paper is processed. They must be removed to ensure you get a quality slurry. 

3. Press and Dry New Paper

Once contaminants are removed from the slurry, it’s put in molds and pressed to form new sheets of paper, cardboard boxes, or other paper products. That paper made from recycled materials has shorter fibers, so recycling it again continues to degrade the strength. That’s why it’s important to start with the longest fibers possible.

What Happens If You’ve Already Shredded Your Paper?

Your bag of shredded paper can still be recycled, but it’s a bit different. The fiber strands are already short. Therefore, the slurry goes into low-grade materials like egg cartons and tissue paper. 

Before the shredded paper even goes into a slurry, there’s the problem with the material it’s stored in. If your district requires shredded paper to go into clear plastic bags, plastic would contaminate the slurry. A worker must open the bag, dump out the paper, and recycle the bag in plastic film recycling. 

Many homeowners have cross-cut shredders with credit card shredders included. Credit cards cannot go into a slurry, so they must be picked out before paper mixes with water and chemicals. It’s time-consuming, so it’s often easier for workers to toss that batch as being contaminated.

To ensure your shredded paper becomes new paper, try not to shred it or use long strip-cut strands. Save credit cards that expire or come in promotional mailings and cut them up with scissors. 

I’ve also been known to send everything back in the included postage-paid envelope. I write the words “REMOVE ME FROM YOUR MAILING LIST” to try to get off lists and lower the paper and plastic coming to my home.

The Size of Shred Impacts Recycling, Too

Quality recycled products start with long fibers. Here’s another issue with shredded paper. There are different types of shredders on the market. A strip-cup tangles on recycling equipment, which can create clogs and equipment breakdowns. 

Cross-cut is the other option, but it creates the smallest pieces, so the fibers are tiny. If they hadn’t been through a shredder, they would have been better candidates for quality products. 

Tips for the Best Practices for Paper Recycling

What do you do to ensure you’re recycling a high percentage of the paper you receive or consume? Our list of best practices offers guidance.

1. Attend Free Paper Shredding Events

Check local events for paper shredding days. Bring your old documents and other papers, and let a professional shred everything. They’ll recycle the shredded paper for you.

2. Black Out All Sensitive Information

Take a permanent marker and cover any personal data like your name and address, account numbers, etc. Once the information is obscured, recycle the entire document in paper and cardboard recycling.

3. Compost as Much as You Can

Compost everything possible. Take shredded paper and add it to your vegetable scraps. A tumbling composter speeds up the process and takes up little room.

If you’re interested in a different option for composting, worms eat pounds of paper each week. Look into vermiculture and let a colony of worms handle your shredded paper and fruit and vegetable scraps. They provide nutrient-rich castings and “worm tea” that help your plants thrive.

4. Gain a New Hobby

If you’re creative, try papermaking for a hobby. You need a few supplies to get started, including a plastic tub and a mold and deckle.

If you want to upcycle two similarly sized picture frames, they work as a deckle and mold. Remove the glass and cover one frame with window screening. From there, you follow these steps:

1. Soak the paper pieces in water and place them in a blender. 
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the paper pulp into a plastic tub.
4. Hold the two frames together so that the window screen is sandwiched between the frames.
5. Dip the frame into the paper pulp.
6. Remove the frame so that it’s parallel to your work surface.
7. Shake the deckle and mold so that the water falls away and leaves the paper fibers on the screen.
8. Place a layer of felt or an old T-shirt that’s set in a baking sheet. 
9. Carefully remove the top frame. 
10. Turn the screen-covered mold upside down on the T-shirt or felt.
11. Press down to release the wet paper from the frame and onto the material in the baking sheet. 
12. Let it dry and repeat the process to make another sheet of paper.

5. Know How to Bag Shredded Paper

If you have shredded paper for your MRF, make sure you’ve bagged it properly. Some places ask for clear plastic bags. Others want the shredded paper in boxes or paper bags. Don’t leave it loose. It’s going to blow away and contaminate other recycling streams if you do.

6. Monitor Updates to Your MRFs Guidelines

Read your MRFs recycling guide each year. Rules may change without notifying area residents. Make it a point to look for changes, and sign up for a newsletter if it’s an available option.

Shred as Little as Possible and Leave It Whole

Instead of shredding an entire paper, tear off the parts with sensitive information and shred those. The rest of the page or additional pages are recycled with paper and cardboard.

7. Use as Small Animal Bedding

Use shredded paper as bedding for small animals. Line a hamster, rat, or mouse cage with shredded paper or As it gets wet quickly, you do need to change it daily.

Get Help With Recycling

Not sure where your local MRF is? Recycle Nation’s comprehensive recycling database ensures you find the best place for paper recycling. Enter “paper” on the left and add your ZIP code on the right. Hit search, and a list of recycling locations appears, along with directions and contact information. Feel free to reach out to find out more.