Today, the urban
separate collection of paper and cardboard stands at about 2 million 900
thousand tons. However, some products deceive citizens: the so-called false friends of paper.
PAPER WAST: MIND THE FALSE FRIENDS
The false friends of paper that most confuse citizens when it is time to sort waste are receipts and takeaway pizza boxes.
The receipt does not go in the separate collection of paper and cardboard because the material of which it is made bothers the recycling processes. The most common receipts, in fact, are made with a thermal paper whose components react to heat, generating problems in the recycling phases.
Pizza boxes, on the other hand, could be thrown in the paper but only if they are neither dirty nor greasy. To be sorted into the paper they must be perfectly clean, and this happens in rare cases. So, even if they are just a little dirty, pizza boxes should not be thrown in the paper!
There are other materials, such as adhesive tapes,
staples, and other non-cellulosic materials (e.g. the cellophane bag that wraps
magazines) that should not be separated with paper at all. Even handkerchiefs
should not be sorted with paper: they are very difficult to recycle.
Another false friend of paper is greaseproof paper. Greaseproof paper used for wrapping cold cuts, cheese, and buns is not recyclable. Nor is paper that has been soiled by poisonous substances, such as paper soiled by paints and solvents, recyclable. This paper, in fact, contaminates recycled paper.
TIPS:
In addition to false friends, there are also procedures to be followed: boxes must be flattened and compressed to reduce large packages into small pieces. Also, paper and cardboard should not be abandoned outside the containers. Two other rules to keep in mind are: do not throw the paper together with the plastic bag used to transport it to the container. Finally, do not put packaging with food or soil residues in the separate collection because they generate bad odors, hygiene, and health problems and contaminate recyclable paper.
Here are the false friends of paper! Now that you have learned them you can make a better recycling collection, being careful about what is recyclable and what is not.
