Your recycling and what happens to it

Paper

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Recycling benefit

73,060t
Amount recycled
39,964t
CO2 avoided
£8,255,832
Disposal saving

Paper and cardboard are some of the most valuable recyclable materials in the Northern Ireland.

Around eight million tonnes of paper and cardboard is recovered in the UK every year – half of which is sent to UK paper mills for recycling, while the other half is exported.

Despite its recyclability, the average UK family still throws away six trees worth of paper and card in their rubbish bin every year, when each tonne of recycled paper and cardboard saves the equivalent of 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3m³ of landfill space, 4,000 kwh of energy and 7,000 gallons of water.

Waste paper is recycled through a shredding and pulping process to turn it back into different grades of paper. Issues with paper recycling largely concern removing contaminants and the wrong kind of paper from the waste stream: paper which includes non-paper additives, such as wrapping paper or gummed paper, is often too poor a quality to be recycled.

Cardboard undergoes a similar recycling process to paper, but must remain separate from the paper stream to avoid brown marks on the new paper.

You can learn more about how to recycle paper and cardboard on the Recycle Now website.

Where does paper recycling go?

Top countries (selected materials) - 2022/23

Top UK recycling destinations

Country Tonnes
Wales 12,209t
Northern Ireland 6,676t
England 4,517t
Scotland 4t
Company Country Tonnes
UPM Kymmene (UK) Ltd Wales 12,209t
Huhtamaki (Lurgan) Ltd Northern Ireland 4,815t
SAICA Paper UK Ltd England 2,354t
Smurfit Kappa UK Ltd England 838t
Ulster Supported Employment Ltd (USEL) Northern Ireland 691t
Winfibre (UK) Company Ltd England 671t
Huhtamaki (Lisburn) Ltd Northern Ireland 379t
Bailey Waste Recycling (NI) Northern Ireland 299t
McQuillan Envirocare Ltd Northern Ireland 255t
Northwood Tissue (Disley) Limited England 173t
Sonoco Cores And Paper Ltd England 158t
Other/Exempt England 144t