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America Recycles Week Graphic 2

Celebrate America Recycles Week by downloading one of our graphics to help share the paper recycling success story.

America Recycles Week 2022 Graphic 1

Celebrate America Recycles Week by downloading one of our graphics to help share the paper recycling success story.

Are All Boxes Recyclable?

Most paperboard can be recycled. Yes, that means cereal boxes, bakery boxes, candy boxes, and much more. Keep your paperboard packaging clean and dry and place it in the recycling bin so it can be turned into new paper products. 

Think Before You Shred

Always think before you shred. Shredded paper is less likely to be recycled than sheets of paper because the small shreds of paper can get lost in collection and processing. The smaller the paper is, the less likely it is to get recycled. A good rule of thumb is to only shred paper containing…

How Do You Recycle Shredded Paper?

Can you recycle shredded paper? Yes, but shredding it makes the paper less likely to be recycled if small bits of paper aren't properly contained. Only shred things with sensitive information to protect your privacy. 

How Does AF&PA Calculate Paper and Cardboard Recycling Rates?

More than two-thirds of the paper used in the U.S. is recycled and used to make new sustainable paper products people use every day. That’s more than 50 million tons of paper. To unpack the paper and cardboard recycling rates further, we turned to AF&PA’s Executive Director of Recovered Fiber…

Juno is an Innovative Recycling Technology

With its Juno technology, Georgia-Pacific is diverting trash from landfills and recovering valuable materials for recycling. John Mulcahy explains how this innovation works and why paper recycling is important.  

Do You Know How to Recycle Milk Cartons?

What happens when you recycle a milk carton? Cartons are transported to paper mills and recycling plants where they become new products like boxes, toilet paper and even ceiling tiles.

Colorado EPR Scheme Will Hurt State’s Recycling Efforts

AF&PA is disappointed by the enactment of Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Program for Recycling. Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed HB22-1355 into law, creating an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program that includes paper and paper-based packaging products.

Recycling of Old Newspapers and Mechanical Papers Graph

While there's less newsprint in the marketplace, it's still a very valuable fiber. There is a greater percentage of newsprint in the marketplace being recycled. 

EPA Packaging Recycling

Most recent data from the EPA  indicates that paper and paperboard packaging accounts for 3/4 of all packaging materials recovered for recycling in the U.S.

Where Recycled Paper Goes Graph

In 2021, nearly half of recycled paper went into making containerboard - the material used to make cardboard boxes.