Paper Recycling
- Busting Some Common Myths!
(Part 2)
This post was last updated in 2023
In today’s world, recycling plays a crucial role in minimising our environmental impact and conserving valuable resources. However, recycling rules are sometimes confusing, leaving us wondering whether certain items can be recycled or not.
In my previous blog post, I addressed some questions people have about paper recycling. We covered cardboard recycling, staples and sticky tape, recycling glossy paper, wrapping paper, shredded paper, receipts and tissues.
The blog post also covered the materials recovery and paper recycling process – two key elements that are useful to understand when addressing questions in the paper recycling space.
In this blog post, we’ll cover some more common questions around paper recycling, specifically:
In general, depending on where you live, greasy pizza boxes can go in your recycling bin and tetrapaks can be recycled. Frozen food boxes, paper bags and paper egg cartons are generally recyclable. Containers that come in contact with food and coffee cups can not go in your recycling bin.
Just note, these posts are not about how to reduce our consumption of paper, different ways paper could be reused or how paper can help with composting.
These blog posts are concerned with what can or can not go in your household recycling bin, along with tips and tricks to ensure your item is recycled.
So let’s get into it.
Can you recycle pizza boxes?
Generally speaking, pizza boxes can be recycle. However, if the box is heavily soiled with grease and food, it’s best to leave it out of your recycling bin. You can tear off any clean parts and place that in recycling, while overly greasy sections will need to go in the compost, FOGO or landfill bin.
But if you are in NSW, QLD and VIC it may be safe to place the whole box into the recycling bin, even if it is greasy.
Clearly, this question was not an easy one to answer!
There are several competing factors here. Like boxes covered with stick tape, the answer to this question comes down to where your paper recycling is taken for processing.
As covered in my last blog post, for those of us living along the eastern seaboard, your recycling is likely processed onshore. And onshore recyclers can deal with greasy pizza boxes.
Here’s a video from VISY, one of the largest paper onshore recyclers in Australia:
Visy have stated “As long as the pizza box is empty you can place these in your recycling bin. We don’t mind a little grease or a few crumbs – our recycling process will remove these”
Given this statement from Visy, why do so many people recommend keeping pizza boxes out of recycling?
Well, I imagine that is for the benefit of those of us in areas where paper recycling is sent overseas for processing.
For those of us living in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory and potentially Canberra, paper recycling bales are likely sent overseas for processing.
When we send waste overseas, greasy and contaminated pizza boxes are seen as major contaminants. As a result, exporters pay less for bales that contain these items, or they reject the bales altogether.
As a result of that, councils recommended people keep their pizza boxes out of the recycling bin.
So to summarise – for those on the eastern seaboard, you should be safe placing your pizza boxes in the recycling bin, even if it is greasy. Just make sure you remove food residue so it doesn’t cause health and safety issues for MRF workers (workers in the sorting facility that manually handle recycling waste streams).
For those in other states, it’s best to place the un-greasy portion in the recycling bin and the greasy portion in landfill.
Or the whole lot can go in a FOGO bin, if your council provides one. Or your compost bin, if you have one at home.
Are milk cartons and tetra paks recyclable?
Both milk cartons and tetra paks are recyclable but not all council areas accept them for recycling. These containers are usually made from a combination of materials, including paper, plastic, and sometimes aluminium. Check with your local recycling program for specific guidelines.
There are two types of tetra paks that you can find on the market – refrigerated “gable top” cartons and shelf-stable “aseptic” cartons.
Source: https://www.recyclecartons.ca/cartons-101/
The first is made from paper and two thin layers of plastic. The second is made from paper, layers of plastic and a layer of aluminium.
According to Planet Ark, most councils will accept the first kind because they can be recycled through the paper recycling process.
In the paper recycling process, the thin layers of plastic can be separated from the paper once it is turned into a pulp, allowing the paper left behind to be recycled. This is typically true for paper waste streams processed onshore, particularly by Visy recycling.
As for the second kind (aseptic cartons), there are a few councils that will accept these. It is possible to process these in the regular paper recycling stream, provided they go to a paper recycling facility that can handle this level of impurities.
According to Planet Ark’s council data, the majority of Australians have access to carton recycling. As of the beginning of 2020, 90.1% of Australians live in areas where non-foil-lined containers are accepted in their kerbside recycling and 67.2% live in areas where foil-lined containers are accepted.
However, Planet Ark acknowledges:
Some paper recyclers do not want cartons in their recycling streams as they say it degrades the value of recycled paper fibre. However, on average, fresh beverage and long-life, foil-lined cartons make up just 0.6% of mixed paper bales sorted at recycling sorting facilities
They also point out that Tetrapak is working to increase Australia’s ability and capacity to recycle (well, actually downcycle) tetrapaks of all kinds.
They have recently invested in a solution called saveBOARD, which creates a product made from recycled tetra paks. Manufacturing facilities for this opened up in NSW in 2023.
So given all this, the rules around recycling tetra paks can be all over the place!
Based on what I have laid out, I would say this is one area where a generalised statement can not be made – you will need to get familiar with what rules your council has in place.
But I can at least direct you towards the Recycling Near You website, which gives a handy tool to look up what your council will or won’t accept: https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/beverage-cartons.
Enter your postcode in the search bar and it will let you know if your council will or won’t accept tetrapaks.
Sometimes the information on this website is not up to date or does not make sense. In these cases, you will need to contact your council directly to find out if milk cartons and tetra paks can go in your recycling bin 🙁.
If your council does accept tetra paks, ensure cartons are empty and flattened before placing them loosely in your recycling bin.
While this blog post is focused on household recycling, I should mention there are other options you can take advantage of to ensure your cartons are recycled.
Container Deposit Schemes in most states will accept milk cartons and tetra paks. I can confirm NSW and ACT will accept these through their container deposit schemes.
Here are the guidelines from the scheme:
Most containers between 150ml and 3 litres are accepted and can get you a refund. However, they must…
- Be in good condition (not be crushed or broken)
- Be empty
- Have the label attached
Look for the 10c label on the container to see if it is eligible for a refund. Remember to leave the lids on when returning your containers. They’ll be recycled too.
According to Planet Ark, containers collected through Container Deposit Schemes are more likely to be turned into paper products of higher value. This is because these collection streams are separated cleanly, reducing contamination from other recycled products like plastic and glass bottles.
BTW I am aware that, while I have used the word recycling here, in actual fact the process that tetra paks go through is more like downcycling. The plastics and aluminium used in these products are mostly lost and not recovered for recycling.
And even in the new “recycling” process Tetra Pak and others have created in NSW, it is at best a process for downcycling tetra paks.
Can you recycle frozen food boxes?
Frozen food boxes, such as those used for packaging frozen vegetables or meals, can be placed in your recycling bin. On the other hand, boxes that come in direct contact with food, (ice cream containers for example) can not be recycled.
Boxes used to contain packets of frozen food, such as the nugget box you see here, can be recycled.
These boxes aren’t in contact with the food they contain. The food itself is contained within plastic packaging that will need to be recycled separately (not through your household recycling bin).
These boxes aren’t in contact with the food they contain. The food itself is contained within plastic packaging that will need to be recycled separately (not through your household recycling bin).
One thing to be aware of with these frozen food boxes is if it is overly glossy.
If it’s overly glossy inside and out, perform one of the three tests mentioned in my last blog post, to make sure it isn’t the type of glossy paper that is made from plastics.
When it comes to containers that come into contact with food, they can be recycled.
For example, ice cream containers are not made from regular paper. They are likely made from wet-strength paperboard, which includes a bonded plastic polyethylene lining. And they usually have a waxy coating inside.
The same goes for a lot of takeaway containers, even ones that look like they are made from plain brown cardboard. If you look closely, they have a thin waxy or plastic lining.
These can’t be recycled because the plastic is too closely bonded to the paper. Put them into your general rubbish bin.
Can you recycle coffee cups?
Typically disposable coffee cups have a plastic lining that makes them difficult to recycle. These cups often need to be processed at specialised facilities. To be more eco-friendly, consider using a reusable coffee cup or ask your local coffee shop if they have a cup recycling program.
It’s a commonly known fact that coffee cups are not recyclable (at least I hope it is commonly known!).
The main reason for this is the waxy layer you see inside these containers. This layer is typically made from polyethylene, which can not be recycled. The paper is too closely bound to the plastic, making it difficult to separate in the paper recycling process.
But of course, to complicate things, it’s important to note that not all waxed paper is bad.
According to the blog Going Zero Waste, waxed paper can also be made from vegetable wax – it’s not always plastic-based. Vegetable wax can be composted in an industrial setting. And some paper recyclers could deal with these impurities through chemical treatments.
However, it is difficult to tell the two apart. Plastic wax? Vegetable wax?
It’s impossible to tell!
So any waxed-coated containers, including coffee cups, need to go into the landfill bin.
And adding complication on top of complications, some coffee cups are made from the same material as tetrapaks – long life paperboard (LPB).
LPB and tetra paks are essentially the same things. It’s where paper is combined with a layer of plastic and foil, to produce an insulated product.
As noted in the previous section, these can be recycled by certain councils.
However, these cups are not all that common and again it can be difficult to determine what your coffee cup is made from. Is it potentially recyclable LPB cups? Or non-recyclable waxed paper cups.
So it is best to keep all coffee cups out of the recycling bin and put them into landfill.
But I do want to note here that there are companies that exist that can recycle coffee cups. For example, Simple Cups have set up collection points in various parts across eastern Australia. They can ensure all coffee cups are downcycled into materials used in roads, concrete, mounting blocks and building material.
Not an option for you at home, but something to keep an eye out for when you are out and about.
Are paper bags recyclable?
Yes, paper bags can generally go in your recycling bin. However, shopping and gift bags may be made with a plastic lining, so you will need to conduct one of the tests mentioned below to determine whether it can be recycled.
Most paper bags can be recycled. They generally pass the rip, scrunch and soak tests mentioned in my last blog post.
However some shopping bags and gift bags are made from a combination of paper and plastic, to ensure they are durable. If you tried the rip or scrunch test and you find they do not pass the test – they can not be recycled.
If they pass the test, you can put them in your recycling bin.
Here’s the reel I linked to in my previous blog post that summarises the three tests I am referring to:
Paper bags contaminated with oil and grease are generally not a problem when it comes to recycling. This level of contamination is so small, it is highly unlikely to cause any issues for any paper recycler. So you can place greasy paper bags in the recycling bin, provided the paper passes one of the tests noted above.
However when it comes to food, you will need to remove as much as possible from the bag before placing it in the recycling bin. This is so it protects those that manually handle recycling, as noted above.
Are paper egg cartons recyclable?
Paper egg cartons can go in your recycling bin. And you don’t have to worry about the labels on these cartons since these are easily screened out in the recycling process.
Finally, a simple question to answer!
No more needs to be said on this one.
While the recycling process is largely straightforward, some materials require a little bit more investigation to determine the right thing to do.
In the last two blog posts I have examined the more challenging items that tend to enter the paper recycling stream. The answers are not always straightforward, but armed with an understanding of the paper recycling process and how it works in Australia, answers have been provided.
By being better informed, we can make more conscious decisions and collectively work towards a more sustainable future 
xxx Tahsin
