Shredded Paper

Shredded paper should not be placed in your curbside recycling. 

 

Shreds are too small to be sorted properly at the materials recovery facility (MRF) that receives your recyclables. It falls through the recycling plant's fast-moving conveyor belts and goes in the trash.

 

Shredded paper should be taken to a mixed paper recycling drop-off bin. Clean shredded paper can also be used in backyard composting.

 

Containing Your Shredded Paper

Before being dropped off at a mixed paper recycling bin, shredded paper can be placed in paper bags or clear plastic bags. This is the only exception to bagging recyclables -- using a clear plastic bag ensures that the company recycling the fiber can see what’s contained in the bag. These paper-only collection bins are hauled directly to a local fiber recycling plant.

 

Mixed Paper Drop-Offs

Shredded paper, along with other paper and boxes, can be dropped off at a mixed paper recycling bin typically found in school or municipal parking lots, nonprofits, places of worship, and in the Cleveland Metroparks. See a list of Metroparks locations on our cardboard page. Royal Oak Recycling (Paper Retriever bins) and Integrity Fiber (fka River Valley Paper Company) do not provide a regularly updated list of their locations to the Solid Waste District. Check with your city service department to see if they have a list of locations for mixed paper bins in your community.

 

As of April 20, 2026, the Solid Waste District is no longer a host location for a Royal Oak Recycling paper bin, and the bins have been removed from our parking lot. Please find an alternate location for cardboard and mixed paper recycling.

 

Paper is the most recycled material in the U.S. Mixed paper and cardboard can be included in curbside recycling.

 

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Looking to recycle, donate, or dispose of other items? Use the dark blue 'What Do I Do With?' search bar at the top of every page of this website. Allow location services or use the city drop-down to find opportunities in your local area.