Paper and card at work

Why paper and card are named on their own

Paper and card are spoiled when they are mixed with food, glass or wet packaging. In England they are collected separately from plastic, metal and glass. Cardboard from deliveries, office paper, paper cups and card packaging all sit in this stream when the site produces them.

They may travel with other dry recycling only when the collector has a written assessment. That assessment explains why a separate collection is not technically or economically practicable, or would have no significant environmental benefit. Keep the document the collector gives you. A sentence in an email is weaker than the assessment they issue. Ask for the assessment itself.

What to write down

Record whether the site produces paper and card, whether it is collected on its own, and who arranges the bin. If a landlord or building manager arranges it, keep their written confirmation. If paper and card are still going into general waste, that arrangement still needs to change.

A photograph of a bin bay shows the bins. It does not replace the assessment, the contract, or the landlord’s letter.

Can paper and card share a bin with cans and plastic?

Only with the collector’s written assessment. Otherwise keep paper and card separate.

What should the assessment say?

It should explain why separate collection is not practicable or has no significant environmental benefit. Keep the document they give you.

Does a photo of the bin replace the assessment?

No. A photograph does not replace a written assessment, a contract, or a landlord’s confirmation.