Paper recycling industry project report

A stack of mixed paper bales. The text says about 80% of U.S. paper mills use some recycled paper

You put your recycling in the bin. You drop it at the curb or take it to your local drop-off. Then you wonder, is my paper actually getting recycled?

Yes! Recycled paper is used to make new products such as paper bags, toilet paper and all different kinds of boxes. For example, the box your cereal or toothpaste came in, bakery boxes for donuts and the trusty cardboard box arriving at your door.

In fact, about 80% of U.S. paper mills use some recycled paper to make new and innovative products.

Here’s how the process works:

It begins at any number of locations, including community curbside programs, drop-off centers, schools or offices. This is when you fill the recycling bin with accepted materials.
After paper is collected, it goes to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). It’s loaded on a conveyor belt and contaminants are removed.
Next, recovered paper is separated and baled. It’s transported to a paper mill where the recycling process really begins.
At the paper mill, the paper bale is loaded into a pulper, which looks like a giant blender. The paper is mixed with water and other ingredients, then it’s churned and broken down. Things like tape, labels and staples are screened out.
From there, this slurry of fibers is screened for further cleaning. As it dries, it is formed into rolls of paper — newly recycled paper.

A man in a flannel shirt putting a box in a recycling bin. Text says watch how the paper recycling process works.

Watch How Paper Recycling Works

Follow along as industry experts walk you through the recycling process and explain where your paper products might end up.

A person putting a cardboard box in a small recycling bin with a newspaper. The text says see what paper products are recyclable.

Find Out What Paper Products are Recyclable

You can keep the recycling process going. Keep your paper products dry and clean. And remember, don’t wishcycle.

A pizza box and cardboard box in a recycling bin at the curb. The text says download the 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study

Download the 2021 AF&PA Access to Recycling Study

This comprehensive national report tracks and measures the growth of community paper recycling access in the U.S.

PAPER INDUSTRY'S COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING PAPER RECYCLING

Nearly 70%

more paper recycled
today than in 1990

$7B

in mill investments
(2019-2025)

100+ MRFs

owned by the
paper industry

Investing in and improving paper recycling has been an industry priority for decades. AF&PA members are working to advance the circular value chain.

Our industry first set a goal to help improve paper recycling in the 1990s. The recycling rate has doubled since that time.

Now, we’ve set a goal to increase the use of secondary materials like recycled paper in new paper products to 50% by 2030.

This means the industry will use even more recycled paper in manufacturing! This goal is part of our Better Practices, Better Planet 2030: Sustainable Products for a Sustainable Future initiative.

We have an ownership stake in the recycling system. AF&PA members own and operate more than 100 materials recovery facilities nationwide. That’s where your recyclables are sorted and processed.

Our industry is investing in manufacturing infrastructure. Nearly $7 billion in investments, planned or announced (2019-2025), will use more than 9 million tons of recycled fiber.

Investments go further than our mills. We’re also working with stakeholders on paper recycling education.

Dive Deeper Into the Industry’s Investment: