Can glossy inkjet paper be recycled?

April 8, 2007 9:46 PM

Can glossy inkjet photo printer paper be recycled?

I'm talking high gloss 68lb paper - it feels kind of plasticky. Can I just throw it in with my newspapers and junkmail?

posted by aubilenon to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

Probably not, but just check with whomever collects your recyclables to be sure. There is no standard accept list. Our town won't take glossy paper, or photographs of any kind.
posted by iconomy at 9:54 PM on April 8, 2007

It really depends on who's doing your recycling. Where I live, the range of acceptable paper has gradually widened; they didn't used to want glossy magazines, for example, but now they take them.
posted by hattifattener at 12:41 AM on April 9, 2007

Paper recycling technology has improved significantly over the past 20 years, so it all depends on who your hauler/processor is. Call your city or recycling company.

If it's Waste Management, they're going to trash most of it anyways yet put on lots of fancy commercials about how green they are.
posted by look busy at 10:45 AM on April 9, 2007

Recycling paper may harm the environment more than it helps.
While it save trees (a renewable resource, a crop), it introduces chemicals for bleaching, breaking it down, transportation, etc. Also the dyes, chemicals in the paper might be better off left locked within the paper.

I'm not sure how you make a realistic comparison of which is the lesser of two evils, since a lot of the information out there is presented by groups with ulterior motives (trade groups, non profits getting grants/donations)
posted by jeblis at 2:10 AM on April 10, 2007