TEE-CEE’S TIP

Dear Tee Cee ,I am purging stuff from my house and finding folders I’m not sure are recyclable. My kids have a bunch of beat-up old folders from school, which are colored paper, some neon, and have pockets to store their assignments. Some are super shiny with graphics on them, and I worry that the glossiness would mean it is plastic-coated, which I know can’t be recycled. I also have neoncolored file folders.

Can I recycle these? Compost? I remember you writing something about neon and colored paper not being accepted in the recycling, is that right? Thank you, Phil

Dear Phil, The folders you describe are all very likely recyclable, but there’s a “tear test” you can take to make sure.

You are correct that we do not want dark (think dark green and dark red construction paper) or neoncolored papers in singlestream recycling. That’s because when the paper gets recycled with other white paper, those bright or dark colors will bleed into the rest of the pulp, similar to a red sock turning all your white clothes pink in the wash! Paper recyclers don’t like that any more than you do.

However, in some cases (and actually in most cases with these types of folders), it’s likely that the color is just printed on the surface of that paper, rather than all the fibers inside being saturated with the dye (as is always the case with paper like construction paper).

So let’s take that tear test to determine which of these items can be recycled! If you rip the folder (or any other bright or darklycolored piece of paper you are wondering about) and see that the fibers inside are white, it goes in the recycling bin. In the case of that glossy folder, I can tell you for sure the graphic was printed on the fibers and a tear test will reveal white fibers inside. While I so appreciate that you’re being careful to avoid plastic-coated paper, glossy doesn’t mean it’s plastic. It’s typically a clay coating that makes it glossy.

I’m going to guess that all the folders, including the file folders, are going to be white on the inside. But if you do find that a dark or neoncolored paper is dyed all the way through when you tear it, please do NOT put it in your recycling bin. Let’s choose compost for that instead. When composting paper, please be sure to remove all stickers, labels, brads, tabs and clips (everything that isn’t paper), as they will contaminate compost. These items do not need to be removed if you’re recycling the paper.

If you have a folder or paper that is a pastel color, don’t worry about it either way and recycle it.

If you encounter folders or spiral notebook covers that are made from plastic, rather than paper/fiber, please put those in the trash if you cannot reuse them. And as you purge, if any of the materials are reusable, consider looking into whether your school has a mechanism for donating lightly-used school supplies to kids in need.

Tee Cee