Per government stats, UK households went from recycling 44.4% of their waste in 2021 to 44.6% in 2021.
If we’ve kept it up since then, that means Brits are putting almost half of our rubbish in the green bins. But are we doing it correctly?
Well, according to recycling expert and “binfluencer” Kate Fenwick (@wasted.kate), many of us might be making a common mistake.
In a recent TikTok, she said that “a lot of people put shredded paper in the recycling bin,” but “there’s nobody [in the recycling processing plant] who can pull all these little bits of shredded paper out.”
She shared the info standing over a paper-covered conveyor.
“It’s going down into the holes down here and it’s falling through, and it’s going straight to landfill ― they can’t recycle little bits of shredded paper like this.”
Why can’t shredded paper be recycled? What?!
I know! I was shocked too ― but apparently it’s got to do with the size of the sheets.
“All of these types of paper are fine,” Kate said in the video while grabbing large leaves of paper, including an intact newspaper.
“The rule of thumb is, ’nothing smaller than the size of an envelope.”
This is both because smaller pieces of paper can get caught up in the machinery, causing a hazard, and because the fibres in the cut-up pieces are too short to be easily turned into usable paper pulp.
Though Kate works in New Zealand, it seems many UK recycling centres operate by the same rules.
The North London Waste Authority, for instance, writes that the only way to recycle shredded paper is to “put it in a paper envelope” and then place it in either your household or public recycling bins.
UK shredding company Shredall adds, “The majority of recycling centres don’t accept small strips or bits of paper. The large-scale recycling facilities use large screens to dry pulp paper on, where small paper pieces fall through the screens.”
So... how should I get rid of it?
Some UK councils do accept shredded paper as-is. Check with your local one to make sure, as it changes from area to area.
“Many local councils will collect shredded paper in your regular household recycling collections,” Reduce Reuse Recycle UK’s site reads.
“Your local councils may ask that you put it in a paper bag or paper envelope before placing it in your recycling bin. You should always check your local council’s policy before putting shredded paper into your recycling bin.”
If you don’t fancy putting it in an envelope and your council doesn’t accept it loose, you can take it to a paper bank.
Shredded paper that isn’t glossy or colourful can make a decent addition to compost piles and works as packing material too.
However, loose shreds recycled by many councils will head straight to the landfill ― so be sure to bag it up or reuse it instead.