Paper

Most Londoners are familiar with recycling newspapers and magazines and you may be used to recycling white paper at work. But there's a lot more paper stuff you may be able to recycle, such as:

• Junk mail – eg menus, flyers and leaflets

• Letters, envelopes (including those with 'windows') and receipts

• Computer printout paper /office white paper

• Coloured paper/wrapping paper

• Birthday, Christmas and other greetings cards

• Telephone directories that use white pages

Please note that some boroughs are not able to recycle all these items - greetings cards and wrapping paper may not be accepted - so please check with your borough.

How to recycle paper

Recycling paper is easy but it's important to keep it clean and dry, so store it separately from other items you recycle, like bottles and jars.

Put your papers in your collection box/bag/bin for recycling or take them to your nearest paper bank. If you take your papers to the paper bank in a plastic bag please take the bag home for use again rather than throwing it away.

If you read free newspapers on the bus, tube or train, please help to ease the burden on the transport system by recycling them at home, at work or in one of the recycling bins outside stations. Around 1.6 million free newspapers are given out in London every weekday.

Paper that can’t be recycled

Padded envelopes with plastic bubble protection inside generally cannot be recycled.

Cardboard is normally recycled separately. If the card is thin, like cereal boxes, it can usually be recycled in your recycling collection from home, unless your borough tells you otherwise.

Some boroughs are able to recycle 'yellow pages' and directories.

How paper is recycled

When the paper recycling banks are emptied the paper is sorted by hand into different grades. Paper not suitable for recycling is removed. The waste paper merchant will then bale the waste paper ready to be taken to the paper mill for reprocessing into new paper or paper products.

Did you know?

• About one fifth of the contents of household dustbins consists of paper and card, of which half is newspapers and magazines. This is equivalent to over 4kg of waste paper per household in the UK each week.

• Producing recycled paper involves between 28-70 per cent less energy consumption than virgin paper and uses less water.

• By putting a 'no junk mail' sign by your letterbox you can cut junk mail such as pizza delivery leaflets by around 90 per cent.

(Facts from Waste Online - paper information)