3 ways to recycle paper bags

By recycling paper bags you are doing your bit for the environment. In fact, if you opt for paper bags as an alternative to plastic in your business, you will take a big step forward in making your business more eco-friendly. Both actions, recycle and replace, are part of the 5Rs of packaging that we defend at RAJA® to prepare your orders and present your products causing the minimum possible impact on the planet.

If we focus on the first of these R’s (recycle), there are three ways to reuse paper bags that have already fulfilled their primary function, that of serving as packaging for the products of your brand, your business or your online shop. You can recycle paper bags in the strict sense of the term; compost them to turn them into natural fertiliser for your garden or orchard; or directly reuse them, giving them new uses. Let’s take a closer look at the implications of each of these options.

1.recycling paper bags

In the RAJA® Blog we have already told you on other occasions about how the industrial process of recycling paper and cardboard works. It is based on treating the collected materials, filtering out the remains of ink, plastic, metal, etc., until only the cellulose remains, a raw material that will allow manufacturers in the sector to produce new products based on paper and cardboard.

Paper bags can easily undergo this recycling process. In a second life, their particles could be integrated into countless objects, such as a sheet of paper, an American box or a roll of wrapping paper. However, there are certain restrictions that can make it difficult or even impossible to recycle a paper bag:

• Food, oil or grease stains. As with pizza boxes, fry wrappers or kitchen paper, grease stained paper bags are not suitable for recycling. The reason is that oils make it difficult for the paper fibres to break down properly during the plasticising phase.
• Remains of adhesives and glues that are not soluble in water, which add contaminants that cannot be removed during the washing phase.
• Other material attachments: fabric handles, a plastic label… Details like these make the paper bag not 100% recyclable. However, this is a minor problem. Once the other material attachment has been removed, the rest of the bag can be integrated into the processing cycle.

2.composting of paper bags

Compost is a natural fertiliser obtained from the treatment and decomposition of organic waste. As a result of this process, we will have a homemade fertiliser that provides a large amount of nutrients to gardens and orchards. Its main advantage is that it can be produced both on an industrial and domestic scale; that is, anyone can have a small composter in their backyard, garden or terrace, and use the waste from their home to transform it into food for plants.

are you wondering if paper bags are compostable? Yes, they are, as long as they meet two requirements:

• They must be made of 100% kraft paper– recycled kraftis fine, of course – and they can be added to the compost, handles and all!
• If they have printed areas on them, be careful to cut them out and remove them before recycling the paper bags, unless the printing has been done with environmentally friendly ink.

3.reuse of paper bags

The third way to recycle paper bags is very simple: reuse them. The most obvious proposal is to continue using them to move objects from one place to another or to go shopping. However, with a little imagination, the possibilities multiply. Do you know what some influencers do with their favourite brands’ paper bags?

• They turn them into magazine racks, and they look great next to their sofa.
• They use them to cover their pots and add a modern and fun touch to their plants.
• They use them when they don’t have wrapping paper to wrap a gift… and also when they do, but they want to show off as the most original ones at the party on their Instagram profile.
• They enjoy fun afternoons cutting out, painting, colouring and making beautiful crafts with paper bags together with their children.

Ecological, recycled and recyclable: these are the paper bags that you will find in the RAJA® online shop. Give your business a chance with personalised paper bags and join the growing trend of environmental friendliness in Europe by renewing your packaging . Together we are + EcoResponsible!