 Recycling paper
Paper and paper products
 We take all clean dry paper. Paper and its products come in many forms, the following will be collected at kerbside:
- Paper - Newspapers, glossy magazines, junk mail, office paper (which contains no personal or private details). Other paper items such as old bills, bank statements etc. should be destroyed in a secure fashion to prevent the risk of identity fraud.
- Cardboard and boxboard - Thin card used to make boxes, such as cereal, soap and tea packets and greetings cards
- Egg cartons and trays
- 1 litre cardboard milk cartons
- Corrugated cardboard
- Telephone books are collected annually, at the time the new books are issued. Instructions on how to recycle your old books come in the packet with the new books. Telephone books have a limited market which is why the books are collected over a short period of time only.
How you can make a difference
Paper - place all clean paper in a plastic bag. Tie the handles to keep the paper secure and reduce the chance of the paper getting wet. Paper can easily become a litter problem or contaminated if it is placed loose in the crate.
Why - Paper can easily become a litter problem or contaminated if it is placed loose in the crate.
Cardboard and boxboard - clean thin cardboard used for packets can be put in the bag with the paper. No need to separate them. Packets must be clean and empty (remove any protective inner bag or lining). Undo the side and bottom flaps and flatten.
Why - Paper can easily become a litter problem or contaminated if it is placed loose in the crate.
Egg Cartons and Trays - place clean trays and cartons loose in the crate. Please do not crush as they can be reused. Keep clean and dry.
Why - Because they can be reused.
Cardboard milk cartons - rinse and place loose in the crate. Please do not crush or flatten the carton, as these are used to grow plants.
Why - Because these are used to grow plants.
Corrugated cardboard - that is the rippled cardboard used for cardboard boxes. This includes clean pizza boxes (no leftovers please). Flatten and tie into bundles no larger than the recycling crate (50cmx50cm). Place bundles beside the crate for collection. Health and safety issues have made it important that corrugated cardboard is flattened and tied in bundles no larger than the size of a recycling crate.
Why - Health and safety issues make it important that corrugated cardboard is flattened and tied in bundles no larger than the size of a recycling crate
Recycling Tips
- Think about the weather. The weather in Christchurch has an impact on the quality of the paper collected and the amount of paper litter blown around the streets.
- Make sure all loose paper is placed flat in a shopping bag with the handles tied and placed on top of the recycling crate. This helps protect the paper from the rain and helps to hold down other recyclables that could be blown around.
- Flatten and tie corrugated cardboard in bundles no larger than a crate
- Only place egg cartons and corrugated cardboard out on fine days. If these products become wet they will have to be disposed of. Please save them to put out on fine days it's important to ensure paper is always clean and dry.
- Large amounts of domestic cardboard collected after a house move can be dropped off to the recycling centre at a Christchurch City Council refuse station, for free
Tips for recycling paper and cardboard [PDF 125KB]
What happens to the paper once it is sorted?
Paper is baled and stacked into shipping containers and sent to a wide range of different markets. Much of it goes to Indonesia where adding it to other large quantities of paper makes recycling economical.
Rinsed 1 litre cardboard milk cartons are used by Trees for Canterbury for tree seedlings.
Egg cartons and trays if clean and not squashed are reused.
Corrugated cardboard either goes up to the Cater Holt Harvey plant in Kinleith where it is recycled back into corrugated cardboard, or to overseas markets.
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