Disadvantages of wax paper
When you are going to dispose of the paper or cardboard you have in your hands, you must make sure that it does not contain other adhered materials, such as staples, rings, plastics, kerosene, adhesives, etc., before placing it in the blue garbage can.
In the event that the material adhered to the paper or cardboard is plastic and you cannot remove it (such as some padded envelopes or plasticized paper), the plastic covering will expire and can be recycled. You should dispose of it complete with packaging and wrappers in the yellow bin.
Dirt and food residues (especially oil and grease residues) are an impediment to recycling paper and cardboard. The same is not true for plastic, glass or metal.
If you cannot salvage or cut out the clean parts of the paper/cardboard, it cannot be recycled as such, so you will have to place it in the grey waste bin (in your municipality this bin may be green or brown).
If the waste is organic and there is this type of collection in your community, you can place it in the brown composting bin with the food waste (again, the color of the garbage can may vary between green and gray).
Recycling waxed paper
The results confirm that the waxed paper meets the criteria for evaluation of material properties, biodegradation (after 75 days), disintegration (after 12 weeks) and compost quality (the material does not negatively affect the quality of the compost), criteria defined in the UNE-EN 13432 standard. Therefore, it can be concluded that the evaluated waxed paper is fully compostable and offers optimal performance as a packaging material for confectionery products, such as candies, chocolates and chewing gum. Thus, users’ packaging materials can comply with EN 13432 and obtain ‘OK Compost’ and ‘Compostable’ certifications.
These findings follow on the heels of the results of previous studies confirming compliance with EN 13432 and ‘OK Compost’ certification requirements, conducted individually by EuroWaxPack member companies on the use of waxed paper for packaging cheese and meat. With this study, EuroWaxPack gives a reassuring answer to the concern that had been installed among those who form the value chain of this material (including consumers) about the end of its life cycle, since it has been shown that it can be composted by industrial means.
Paper is recyclable
To understand the correct destination of all waste, it is necessary to know the origin of the waste. In the case of paper, we know that it is made from renewable vegetable fibers and other products, consisting mainly of wood. A pulp of cellulose fibers, or pulp, is obtained, which is the raw material of paper.
One of the main forces that ensure the strength of paper are the chemical connections between the fibers, called hydrogen bridges. What influences the recycling or not of paper is the waterproofing process, which directly affects the hydrogen bonds and weakens the paper.
In the case of a change in the quality of the product, it should be taken into account that all papers that undergo some alteration to reduce permeability, such as paraffinized papers, adhesives, are considered contaminants in the recycling process. They can be recycled, but the effect of waterproofing in the reduction of hydrogen bridges makes the paper look weaker than if only good quality fibers were used.
Paper recycling for children
Paper recycling is one of the most important recycling methods available. It avoids the felling of many trees and also avoids the use of toxic bleaches such as chlorine, which, if not properly managed, ends up being released into the environment. However, although recycling paper and cardboard is such an important task, it is also necessary to remember that not all types of paper can be recycled. In fact, some of them will have to be discarded and will end up in an incinerator once they have been used and nothing can be done about it. If you want to know what kind of paper can and cannot be recycled, keep reading Green Ecology and we will tell you about it.
In fact, when we talk about recycling paper, we are referring to cellulose. That is, the main material that makes up paper and is extracted from the wood of trees. However, for this cellulose to be recycled, it must be in an acceptable condition. This means that if it is paper or cardboard that has undergone certain chemical treatments, or has simply been stained with dirt that cannot be removed, the paper in question is unusable for recycling.