The environmental benefits of paper recycling are immense. Recycling one ton of paper can save 380 gallons of oil, 7,000 gallons of water and enough energy to power the average U.S. home for six months. And because paper can be broken down and reused seven times, you help provide materials for more paper goods and manufacturers. Not only is paper recycling good for the environment, but it’s also good for business. Diverting paper from the landfill can actually reduce your waste costs if your business churns through a lot of paper.

Sorting your paper helps you maximize the value of your materials and lowers the risk of contamination. However, many business owners prefer the benefits and ease of single stream collection. Rubicon will take a close look at the volume and types of paper you throw away to design a paper recycling program that works best for you.

Although the federal government doesn’t mandate paper recycling, more and more states now require businesses to recycle their paper. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, California and the District of Columbia are some areas with paper recycling requirements. Depending on local mandates, newspaper and magazines must be recycled while telephone books can be kicked to the curb. You can leave all the fine print to us. Rubicon will ensure your recycling program meets or exceeds state and local regulations in a way that best works for your business.

Just about any kind of paper can be recycled—even paper with staples and paper clips— though there are some restrictions. You can’t recycle wet paper or paper that’s been used for food, like plates or pizza boxes. Shredded paper can have limitations based on the size of the pieces. And while sticky notes are often accepted, it’s best to check with your local service provider to ensure the adhesives can be removed.

Paper grades make a big difference in the value of your recyclables due to the different types of materials that can be made. Newspapers are often recycled back into newspaper, whereas the more valuable white paper (high grade deinked paper) can be reused for all sorts of things, like toilet paper, tissue and paper towels.

There are five basic paper grade categories:

1. Mixed Paper
Mail, catalogs, and magazines

2. Old Newspapers

3. High Grade Deinked Paper
Envelopes, copy paper and letterhead that have had the ink removed

4. Pulp Substitutes
Discarded scraps from mills

5. Old Corrugated Containers
Boxes and product packaging (read more about OCC recycling here)

Through a waste-stream analysis, Rubicon will help you develop a paper recycling program or even a paper shredding program that meets your business’s unique needs.