Cardboard & Paper Recycling

cardboardCardboard

Cardboard is one of the largest, single components of municipal solid waste and is also the largest category of materials recycled every year, with the U.S. recovering almost 90% of it. Recycling cardboard:

  • uses only 75% of the energy needed to make new cardboard 
  • reduces sulfur dioxide emissions (a gas that causes acid rain) in half
  • Recycling one ton of cardboard saves
    • about 46 gallons of oil
    • 390 kWh of electricity
    • 6.6 million BTUs of energy
    • 3 tons of trees
    • 9 cubic yards of landfill space

Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Catalogs, and Glossy Magazines

Every ton (2,000 pounds) of recycled paper saves:

  • 17 trees
  • 380 gallons of oil
  • 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space
  • 275 pounds of sulfur
  • 350 pounds of limestone
  • 60,000 gallons of water
  • 225-kilowatt hours of electricity

This equals 64% in energy savings, 58% in water savings, and 60 pounds less in air pollution as compared to producing new paper. Through paper recycling, American Forest and Paper Association member companies avoided greenhouse gas emissions of more than 20 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents each year.

Recycling at the Transfer Station

In Massachusetts, all non-waxed and clean cardboard products, mixed paper, newspaper, catalogs, and magazines are banned from being disposed of with solid waste, which is why recycling cardboard at the Weston Transfer Station is so easy. Signage displays show exactly where and what to place these items:

Cardboard

  • shipping boxes
  • corrugated cardboard
  • pizza boxes (empty no food)

Please cut or fold large boxes to 2’ x 4’, remove plastic liners and packing material before placing down the chute. Staples and tape are OK to leave. 

cardboard

Mixed Paper

  •  pamphlets, manuals
  • paper board: cereal, pasta, shoe, six-pack carrier, paper towel tubes, etc. (non-waxed, clean)
  • junk mail
  • paperback books and phone books
  • colored paper bags
  • office and school paper

Loose is fine or pack in a paper bag. Please remove plastic wrap.

paper

Contamination

Please avoid the following so as not to spoil the load:

  • Food residues (paper plates, cups, napkins/towels)
  • Waxy paper or wax coating (soup or juice containers)
  • gift wrapping paper
  • 3-ring binders