Real-world examples of recycling cardboard and paper products: 3 examples that matter

Let’s start where most of us create the most cardboard and paper waste: at home. When people ask for examples of recycling cardboard and paper products: 3 examples, the first thing I point to is the stuff that passes through your kitchen and front door every single week.

Think about a normal online-order-heavy week:

• Two shipping boxes from e-commerce deliveries
• A cereal box, a pasta box, and a tissue box
• A stack of paper mail, catalogs, and paper envelopes

These are some of the best examples of recyclable cardboard and paper because they’re usually:

• Made from a single material (paper or cardboard)
• Easy to flatten and stack
• Accepted in most curbside programs in the U.S. and many other countries

Example of recycling: the online shopping box

Let’s take a single shipping box as a real example and walk it through the system.

You order shoes online. They arrive in a brown corrugated cardboard box with paper padding inside and a plastic shipping label on the outside.

Here’s how to recycle it correctly:

• Open the box and remove products, plastic bags, and bubble wrap.
• Peel off as much of the plastic label and tape as you reasonably can (a little tape left is okay in most programs).
• Flatten the box to save space in your bin and in the truck.
• Place it in your curbside recycling cart or bring it to a community drop-off.

That single action puts your box on a path to become new cardboard, paperboard packaging, or even paper bags. According to the American Forest & Paper Association, cardboard (corrugated) boxes in the U.S. had a recycling rate of about 93.6% in 2022, one of the highest of any packaging material.¹ Your box really does have a strong chance of a second life.

Example of recycling: cereal and pantry boxes

Another example of recycling cardboard and paper products is the paperboard box that holds your cereal, crackers, or snacks. These thinner boxes are usually made from paperboard, not corrugated cardboard, but they’re widely accepted in curbside recycling.

To recycle them well:

• Empty the box completely (no crumbs or plastic liners).
• Remove the plastic bag from inside; that bag is usually trash or store-drop-off plastic, not curbside.
• Flatten the box.
• Recycle with your cardboard.

These paperboard boxes often come back as new food boxes, tissue boxes, or even paperboard for notebooks and folders.

Example of recycling: junk mail and office paper

Junk mail is annoying, but it’s also one of the easiest examples of recycling cardboard and paper products: 3 examples that you can put into practice today.

Most of the following can go straight into paper recycling:

• Plain paper envelopes (plastic windows are usually okay in U.S. mills)
• Flyers, brochures, and catalogs
• Printer paper and notebooks (without plastic covers or metal bindings)

Skip or separate these:

• Padded mailers made of mixed paper and plastic (often not recyclable curbside)
• Envelopes with thick plastic bubble lining

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that paper and cardboard still make up a large share of municipal solid waste, but they’re also among the most recycled materials in the U.S.² So every piece of mail you recycle instead of trash has a good chance of becoming new paper products.

2. Food packaging and the greasy pizza box problem: examples include what NOT to recycle

When people look for examples of recycling cardboard and paper products, pizza boxes always come up. They’re a perfect example of how local rules and contamination make things confusing.

Example of recycling: the half-greasy pizza box

Here’s a very real scenario:

• You order pizza.
• The top of the box is clean, but the bottom is soaked with grease and cheese.

What do you do?

In many U.S. cities, the best practice is:

• Tear off the clean lid and any clean, unsoiled sides.
• Recycle those clean parts with cardboard.
• Throw the greasy bottom and cheese-covered parts in the trash or, if your city has it, the food/compost bin.

Why? Paper mills can’t easily remove oil from fibers. If too much greasy cardboard gets mixed into a load, it can weaken the recycled paper and cause quality problems. This is one of the best real examples of how contamination can spoil an entire batch of recycling.

Example of recycling: frozen food boxes and coated paper

Another tricky example of recycling cardboard and paper products: 3 examples involves frozen food boxes and ice cream cartons. These often look like regular paperboard, but they’re coated with a thin plastic or wax layer to resist moisture.

Local regulations vary a lot here:

• Some cities accept frozen food boxes but not ice cream cartons.
• Others reject all heavily coated paper food containers.

Because rules are so local, your best move is to check your city or county recycling guide online. Many U.S. municipalities provide detailed lists or searchable tools through their solid waste department websites.

As a general rule of thumb:

• If the box feels waxy or very slick, there’s a good chance it’s not accepted curbside.
• If your local guide doesn’t list it as accepted paper/cardboard, put it in the trash to avoid contaminating your recycling bin.

Example of recycling: coffee cups and takeout containers

Paper coffee cups and many takeout boxes are lined with plastic. They look like paper, but they behave more like a mixed-material product.

Some advanced recycling systems and specialized mills can handle them, but most standard curbside programs in the U.S. still do not accept paper coffee cups. The same goes for many paper takeout boxes that are heavily coated or food-soiled.

So for this example of paper packaging:

• Lids (if clean and marked #1 or #2) may be recyclable as plastic.
• Cardboard drink carriers and cup sleeves are usually recyclable as plain cardboard.
• The cup itself usually goes in the trash unless your city specifically says they accept it.

Again, this is where local recycling regulations really matter. The same cup might be recyclable in San Francisco but not in a smaller town that doesn’t have access to specialized paper mills.

3. Office, school, and community recycling: examples of recycling cardboard and paper products at scale

So far we’ve looked at home and food packaging. The third of our examples of recycling cardboard and paper products: 3 examples takes us into offices, schools, and community spaces, where the volume of paper is much higher.

Example of recycling: office paper and cardboard shipping boxes

Walk into any office building and you’ll see two big opportunities:

• High-quality white printer paper
• A constant flow of cardboard shipping cartons

These are some of the best examples of paper and cardboard recycling because:

• The paper is usually clean and high-grade.
• The cardboard is often unsoiled and easy to flatten.

A typical office can set up:

• Blue bins at each workstation for paper only
• A central collection area for flattened cardboard boxes

When these materials are collected separately from food waste and drink containers, contamination drops and recycling rates jump. Many commercial haulers offer discounted rates when businesses keep cardboard and paper clean and separated because mills pay more for high-quality fiber.

Example of recycling: school paper drives and textbook reuse

Schools are another powerful example of recycling cardboard and paper products in action.

Common practices include:

• Classroom paper bins for worksheets, notebook paper, and handouts
• Library and office recycling for discarded files and outdated materials
• Seasonal paper drives, where families bring in old magazines, newspapers, and cardboard for fundraising

Some districts also run textbook reuse and recycling programs. Usable books are passed down to other students, while damaged or outdated ones are sent to specialized recyclers that handle bound books (removing covers, bindings, and glues as needed).

This is a real example of how recycling and reuse can work together. Reuse extends the life of the product; recycling recovers the fiber at the end.

Example of recycling: community drop-off centers and special collections

Not everyone has curbside service, especially in rural areas or some apartment complexes. Community drop-off centers are an important example of how cardboard and paper recycling can still thrive without a cart at your driveway.

At these centers you’ll often see separate containers for:

• Mixed paper (magazines, mail, office paper)
• Corrugated cardboard
• Sometimes newspapers or phone books (where they still exist)

Many centers post local recycling regulations right on the bins, making them good real-world teaching tools. They also sometimes accept items that curbside programs do not, such as:

• Large volumes of cardboard from moving
• Bundled shredded paper (in paper bags)

This gives households and small businesses a way to keep high volumes of cardboard and paper out of landfills even if their regular trash service is limited.

Why local recycling regulations matter for all these examples

Across these examples of recycling cardboard and paper products: 3 examples, one theme keeps popping up: local rules are everything.

A few reasons why:

• Different cities contract with different recycling facilities and paper mills.
• Some mills can handle coated papers and cups; others cannot.
• Contamination standards differ, especially for food-soiled cardboard.

The EPA emphasizes that recycling programs are designed locally, and materials accepted in one community may not be accepted in another.² That’s why it’s smart to:

• Look up your city or county’s official recycling guide online.
• Search specifically for “cardboard” and “paper” rules.
• Check for any 2024–2025 updates, as many programs have adjusted what they accept in response to changing markets for recycled fiber.

In the last few years, demand for recycled cardboard and paper has stayed relatively strong, driven by e-commerce shipping and packaging. That’s good news: it means that when you recycle cardboard and paper correctly, there’s usually a real market for those materials.

Common mistakes that ruin good examples of recycling cardboard and paper products

To make all these examples of recycling cardboard and paper products actually work in real life, it helps to avoid a few common habits that cause entire loads to be rejected.

Some of the worst offenders:

• Food residue: Pizza, oil, or sauce soaked into cardboard
• Wet paper: Rain-soaked boxes or paper that’s been left outside
• Mixed materials: Plastic bubble mailers labeled as “paper,” or boxes with Styrofoam still inside
• “Wishcycling”: Tossing in questionable items like paper towels, tissues, or dirty napkins and hoping for the best

Paper towels, tissues, and napkins are generally not recyclable because the fibers are too short and they’re often contaminated with food or bodily fluids. The CDC and public health agencies also discourage recycling items contaminated with bodily fluids due to hygiene and safety risks.³ Those go in the trash.

If you remember nothing else from these examples of recycling cardboard and paper products: 3 examples, remember this: clean and dry wins every time.

Quick checklist to copy from these real examples

Here’s a simple way to apply all these real examples in your daily life:

• Cardboard boxes (shipping, moving, appliance): Empty, flatten, keep dry, remove plastic.
• Paperboard boxes (cereal, snacks, tissues): Empty, flatten, remove plastic liners.
• Office and school paper: No food, no plastic covers, no spiral bindings if your local rules say so.
• Junk mail and envelopes: Recycle plain paper; keep padded or plastic-lined mailers out.
• Pizza boxes: Recycle the clean parts; trash or compost the greasy parts.
• Coated food boxes and cups: Follow your local guide; when in doubt and not listed as accepted, throw them out.

These are the best examples of everyday choices that keep cardboard and paper in circulation instead of in the landfill.

FAQ: examples of recycling cardboard and paper products

Q: What are three simple examples of recycling cardboard and paper products I can do at home?
Three easy, everyday examples include flattening and recycling your online shipping boxes, recycling empty cereal and pantry boxes (without plastic liners), and putting clean junk mail and office paper into your paper recycling instead of the trash.

Q: Can you give an example of cardboard that should NOT be recycled?
Yes. A pizza box with the bottom soaked in grease and cheese is a good example of cardboard that should not go in your recycling bin. Tear off and recycle the clean lid if allowed locally, but the greasy portion belongs in the trash or food/compost collection if your city accepts it.

Q: Are paper coffee cups a good example of recycling cardboard and paper products?
Not usually. Most paper coffee cups are lined with plastic and aren’t accepted in standard curbside paper/cardboard recycling. The cardboard sleeve and drink carrier usually are recyclable, but the cup itself often belongs in the trash unless your local program specifically says otherwise.

Q: Do local recycling regulations really change these examples?
Absolutely. The same item—like a frozen food box or a paper cup—might be accepted in one city and rejected in another, depending on which paper mills they sell to. Always check your local recycling guide online to confirm whether specific cardboard and paper items are accepted where you live.

Q: Are paper towels and tissues examples of recyclable paper products?
No. Paper towels, tissues, and napkins are generally not recyclable. The fibers are too short, and they’re often contaminated with food or bodily fluids. Most local recycling regulations direct you to throw them away, or compost them only if they are clean and your compost program accepts them.

By paying attention to these real-world examples of recycling cardboard and paper products—and especially to how local rules shape them—you’ll be far more confident every time you walk over to that blue bin.