So much of our activity is online nowadays. We receive bills, advertisements, coupons, and other content via email constantly. There are also countless pop-up ads, social media advertisements in our regular news feeds, and more. That said, we still get plenty of tangible direct mail in our mailboxes. It could be a card, letter, or something special, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas cards, family letters, photo cards, gifts from grandma, etc. On the flip side, there’s also unsolicited direct mail—some of which we toss in the nearest trash bin. While this is a common practice shared by many, the reality is that those items fill our landfills and use valuable resources. This begs the question: How can we reduce the amount of mail that comes to this sad demise through paper recycling?

Don’t feel overwhelmed by this question. The good news is that paper recycling doesn’t have to be hard. There are plenty of ways to reuse or recycle direct mail. Here are a few guidelines about what can and can’t be recycled. If you don’t see anything on this list, throw it out. One piece of unrecyclable mail can contaminate the entire batch.

Texas Recycling: A Dallas Recycling Center for Metal, Cardboard, Paper Recycling and More! 214-357-0262

11 Paper Recycling Tips to Reuse or Recycle Direct Mail

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s most recent statistics, 292.4 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste were generated in 2018, with over 94 million tons being recycled and composted. In addition, over 35 million tons of MSW were combusted energy recovery, and more than 146 million tons were landfilled.

Here are a few ways you can responsibly improve these statistics:

1. Glossy paper can be recycled. That covers catalogs and magazines, though it’s important to take the plastic wrapping off before tossing them into the nearest paper recycling bin.
2. Are you getting a lot of credit card offers in the mail? These can be recycled, too. Just make sure you throw away the fake or example plastic credit cards before placing the rest in the recycling bin.
3. Free address labels sent with donation requests should NOT be included in your paper recycling efforts.
4. If you use a paper shredding machine to protect information or keep mailed pre-approvals from getting into the wrong hands, don’t recycle the shreds. Doing so makes the paper pieces too small for paper recycling machinery.
5. The cardboard used to package online orders can be recycled.
6. Padded envelopes with plastic bubbles cannot be included in your paper recycling efforts. Instead, reuse them instead of throwing them in the regular trash. If the padding is made of paper, it can be recycled.
7. Glitter cannot be recycled. We know the temptation is there, but aside from getting everywhere, it can’t be recycled. The same is true for foiled paper.
8. If you aren’t a collector, postage stamps can be recycled.
9. Many people ask about holiday greeting cards. Our answer is simple: photo paper greeting cards can’t be recycled. The same applies to cards with glitter, metallic accents, or plastic.
10.  Advertisements on newsprint or cardstock can easily be recycled, assuming they don’t have any of the other materials mentioned above.
11.  You can reuse unwanted paper to make beautiful collages, vision boards, origami frogs, and other artwork.

Texas Recycling: Our Dallas Recycling Center Helps Your Business with Revenue from Paper Recycling. Call 214-357-0262

How Can I Reduce How Much Direct Mail I Receive?

This is a fantastic question. After all, the less direct mail and other advertisements you receive in the mail, the less you have to worry about when it comes to quality and effective paper recycling.

Here are a few ways to take quick action to reduce what ends up in your mailbox.

• Register with the Association of National Advertisers, formerly the Direct Marketing Association, and remove your name from as many mailing lists as possible. This mail suppression service is good for 10 years.
• If you shared a mailing address with someone who is now deceased, you can stop mail from being sent to them by registering them on the Deceased Do Not Contact List. If you wish to stop mail from being sent to a dependent in your care, the Do Not Contact for Caregivers List is also a viable option to suppress direct mail.
• If you are receiving far too many unwanted catalogs, you can register for Catalog Choice.
• Did you know there’s a way to opt out of credit card offers and reduce the number of times you have to engage in paper recycling? It’s true. Visit this address to opt-in or opt-out.
• If you do business with a particular company or bill collector and need to receive statements, invoices, and other mailings from them, check to see if you can sign up for e-bills or emailed versions of other direct mail pieces.
• Contact your favorite charities and ask them to only send donation requests via email.
• Contact any direct mail offender that keeps sending you unwanted solicitations and ask them to stop.

Paper Recycling: What About All These Holiday Cards?

Many Christmas and other seasonal cards can be recycled in the household paper recycling bin if they are plain printed paper or card stock. However, any card with glitter, glue, or over-printed in foil or a 3D image cannot be recycled. These must be disposed of in the trash, or they will contaminate the waste stream.

You have a few choices when it comes to being green about holiday cards:

1. Declutter them, which may include throwing them in the recycling bin, not the trash, if they qualify (see above)
2. Upcycle or make paper crafts with them.
3. Donate them to charity. For example, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children has a recycling card program.

Texas Recycling Wants To Be Your Dallas Paper Recycling Partner

It’s easy to look at all the details above and think, “Those are a lot of recycling rules to remember.” We get it—paper recycling can be overwhelming at first. But if you follow the strategies above, you will quickly find that they are easier to follow than you initially realized. Far too often, we toss direct mail in the trash without giving it a second thought. Instead, there are plenty of ways to ensure these items get properly recycled.

Texas Recycling is dedicated to improving the environment by providing the highest-quality recycling services in the D/FW Metroplex. Our creative solutions help companies embrace environmental responsibility and sustainability. We process thousands of tons of recyclable paper, cardboard, newspaper, and metal at our 225,000-plus square-foot facility. If you still have a truckload of recyclable items, please give us a call at 214-357-0262 so we can let you know how we can help. 

Texas Recycling also offers our clients personalized customer service. From scheduled pickups for large commercial entities to our Public Buy Back Center for individuals and smaller businesses, we have a recycling solution to meet your needs.

Help both the environment and your bottom line by calling Texas Recycling at 214-357-0262 to get started on a commercial recycling or industrial recycling program for your organization.