A Trick to Paper Recycling That Many More South Africans Need to Know!

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If you’re one of the people helping South Africa keep 1.2 million tonnes of paper and paper packaging out of landfill, make sure you are doing this one thing…

South Africa (20 September 2026) – It was National Recycling Day on the 18th of September 2026!

The occasion is marked annually on the third Friday of September as part of National Clean-Up and Recycle Week.

Paper and Allied Manufacturers of South Africa (PAMSA) wants to remind South Africans to be mindful of how they dispose of waste and where they can make small changes to reduce what goes to landfill.

There are many things one needs to keep in mind when recycling – for example, keeping paper, plastics, and glass all separate – but there are also little things that can be done to make the next steps in the recycling process run smoothly!

One of the biggest is keeping paper and paper packaging dry and separate from wet waste.

“Paper recycling – whether at home, work or school – can only be successful if it is actively separated from wet waste after use,” says Samantha Choles, communications manager for PAMSA.

“Paper is absorbent, and its fibres start to break down when exposed to moisture, oils or food waste. This makes it less suitable for the paper recycling process,” she explains.

Did you know that South Africa’s recycling rate stands at 63% of the available volumes of recyclable paper? This is slightly above the global average, but there is still room for improvement.

We could all be earning our gold stars in paper recycling if we knew a few extra things!

Informal collectors contribute significantly to South Africa’s paper recycling success story. They are huge helpers, but there is a way for us to help them, too. Sorting your recyclables correctly can make a big difference.

Waste pickers often have to retrieve recyclable items that have not been separated properly from domestic rubbish bins.

“This means that the paper products are contaminated by food waste and liquids, resulting in less income for a collector at a buy-back centre,” explains Choles.

Sorting waste properly is an important part of recycling. The small step of recycling your paper and paper packaging separately diverts waste from landfills. Instead, that waste is used as raw material in the production of tissue and packaging such as cardboard boxes, paper bags, takeaway coffee cup holders and egg boxes.

PAMSA offers these top tips to up your recycling game:

Know which paper products can and cannot be recycled. Recyclable: paper packaging; liquid board packaging (milk and juice cartons, paper cups); newspaper, brochures and magazines; office paper, telephone directories, paper giftwrap, damaged books that are not suitable for donation. Not recyclable: wet or dirty cardboard (e.g. paper plates), tissues and paper towels, nappies, sticky notes, wax- or foil-lined boxes, cement bags, dog food bags, laminated paper. Make sure these items are not put into general waste by educating family, friends and colleagues.
Use a large waterproof bag or container when you empty these bins.
Keep plastic, glass and can recycling separate from your paper, as these items may still contain liquids.
Put your recycling collection out on your pavement, or where it is easy for a collector to access.
Place multiple bins around the house, your workplace or a school where you are most likely to throw paper away: in kitchens, bathrooms (for toothpaste boxes and toilet roll cores), at your desk and in the classroom.