Mixed Paper

PPFM provides all campus faculty and general fund staff with a blue deskside recycling container for the collection of mixed office paper. Large paper recycling containers are also provided for departmental mail and copy rooms.

Paper collections are made once a week by the custodial staff at the same time trash is collected from offices. If deskside containers fill up before the pickup date, we recommend they be emptied into one of the large blue containers. Individuals who need a recycling bin can request one from PPFM.

The following paper products are accepted in the blue recycling containers:

colored paper
magazines
cardboard
shredded paper

white paper
chipboard
books
phone books

newspapers
blueprints
file folders
junk mail (including envelopes)

Staples and paper clips do not need to be removed.

Do NOT include:

napkins
food
non-recyclable trash

tissues
paper cups
3-ring binders

paper or plastic plates
candy wrappers

Faculty and staff who are retiring, moving offices, or doing a major cleanout of their workspace, can request temporary barrels for large volumes of paper. Special arrangements are made to pick up these materials outside of the normal collection schedule.

Where Does It Go?

All mixed paper is hauled to a regional processing facility. The paper is sorted into different grades, then baled and sent to mills across the globe. At the mills, the paper is pulped and converted into a variety of new products, including building insulation, writing and copier papers, newsprint, paper towels, and bathroom tissue.

Did You Know?

Approximately 80% of the world’s ancient forests have been cut down for fuel and raw materials that go into paper and other wood products. Recycling paper reduces the amount of virgin wood fiber needed for manufacturing by allowing fiber in discarded paper to be re-used.

Source: INFORM