Is Wax Paper Recyclable

The first typical questions that i often get is whether or not wax paper is compostable.

Is wax paper recyclable.

Wax paper is a mixed bag. Wax paper can also be safely printed on as the wax helps to protect the food stuffs from the ink seeping through. Wax paper also waxed paper or paraffin paper is paper that has been made moisture proof through the application of wax. Unlike the lamination used on other boxes though the plastic in wax coated cardboard can t be cleanly separated from the paper underneath.

Actually the paper that uses soybean oil based waxed paper is compostable. Again it is hard for the. And the same university s home and garden information center stated they would not recommend composting parchment paper. If you re planning to compost your wax paper after use then you might want to reconsider.

Other mixed paper products that can t be recycled are. Soybean wax is an organic vegetable wax derived from soybean oil and is most often used in making candles. Generally waxed paper is either coated with soybean based or paraffin based. Paraffin is composed of either vegetable oil or petroleum based.

Soybean wax is organic but it is a wax and is difficult for microbes to digest. Milk and juice cartons stickers and plastic laminated paper the kind of paper that wraps fast food hamburgers and the like. Any paper that is stained with food or cooking oils are not recyclable so parchment paper is out. But if you simply have to use it to make those homemade biscuits or fluffy sugar cookies don t toss your wax paper into the trash after using it.

With all that being said the simple answer is no wax paper is not recyclable because it is coated with well wax. The paper in wax paper is a compostable material. Vegetable oil is organic and is okay for composting. One of the biggest selling points for wax paper is that it s compostable and recyclable which is great for any company deli or restaurant trying to decrease their carbon footprint.

According to information from montana state university extension wax paper will not decompose efficiently and you may find pieces of it left in the compostable pile. The answer can be either yes or no. And you may know it is coated with non stick materials like silicon. A wax paper can be made of either soybean wax or paraffin.

Wax paper is considered mixed paper because it is paper coated with wax. The wax is usually actually polyethylene a type of plastic that s widely used and widely recycled. You may know several of its forms as 1 2 and 4 plastic. It s neither recyclable or compostable.

The practice of oiling parchment or paper in order to make it semi translucent or moisture proof goes back at least to the middle ages paper impregnated or coated with purified beeswax was widely used throughout the 19th century to retain or exclude moisture or to wrap.