Can Sticky Tape be Recycled?

Sticky Tape Goes to Landfill 

Do you know when you order stuff online, and the company says all our packaging is fully recyclable? 

That's not entirely true if the box has been sealed with sticky tape, even if made of paper. 

Very few sticky tapes can be recycled. It, therefore, goes to landfill.

Paper sticky tape may seem like an odd subject for me to write about, but I have a reason for doing so.

Since moving away from using plastic, I'm always looking for suitable packaging materials that can be recycled using local curbside recycling. One thing that's really difficult to find is recyclable sticky tape.

That may surprise you, considering there are so many paper sticky tapes on the market. You may also be surprised to learn that despite many being marked as 'recyclable,' they're actually not.

Many businesses use paper sticky tape, also known as packaging or masking tape. Until recently, the only two options were clear tape and brown parcel tape, both of which are plastic.

As businesses have become more environmentally aware and moved towards eco-friendly packaging, a wider selection of sticky tapes has emerged. Many are now made from paper, which is significantly less harmful to the environment.

The selection of paper sticky tapes now being sold is extensive. Many are coloured and/or printed, which makes a parcel look far more attractive.

With it being paper instead of plastic, retailers have assumed that it can be recycled. The truth, however, is that any product with adhesive goes to landfill. That includes sticky tape, Post-It notes, address labels and decorative stickers. 

Since becoming aware of this, I've contacted numerous companies that sell paper sticky tape that's recyclable. Most haven't replied.

In a response from one of only two businesses that did reply, I was told that chemicals used at the recycling plant remove dyes and adhesives so the tape can be recycled. Having spoken to two paper recycling plants at different ends of the country, I was told that's not true.

Having informed this company of my findings, they did not respond. 

The following screenshot comes from a paper recycling plant in the U.S. Although I've used it as an example, the websites of several UK recycling plants state exactly the same. Most local council websites also state sticky paper or any material with adhesive cannot be recycled.  
Other products that can't be recycled include painted paper or card because the paint gets the paper wet and water damages the fibres.

Paper or cardboard with grease marks or food stains can't be recycled either. Paper cups generally can't be recycled because most contain plastic. Greaseproof paper, tissues, napkins and kitchen towels also go to landfill. 

Paper coated with wax, plastic or any other coating cannot be recycled.

Not all councils in the UK can recycle shredded paper. Those who can, request that it be placed in a paper bag or closed box. This prevents it from blowing around at the recycling plant and blocking machinery. 

In the UK, once domestic recycling bins have been collected, contents are sorted at a 'Materials Recovery Facility'. This is done by machinery and by hand.  

The biggest problem they face is dealing with 'contaminants'. These can only be sorted by hand. The most common include drinking glasses, toothpaste tubes, plastic film lids and food-stained takeaway boxes.
Where paper sticky tape can be easily removed, the packaging is recycled. Where that's not possible or where adhesive residue is left behind, it all goes to landfill.

I did find one paper sticky tape that uses adhesive made from synthetic rubber and hydrocarbon resins. It can apparently be recycled, but after further investigation, I discovered it can only be done at a specialist recycling centre.

In my research for this article, I learned that all sticky tape is removed at sorting centres as standard. This is because it's usually not possible to establish what kind of adhesive has been used.

The other paper sticky tape that can be recycled is 'water activated tape' or 'WAT' for short. It's also known as gummed tape.

Once wet, the fibres of the cardboard bond with the tape to form a seal. This sticky tape is apparently quite easy to identify because it tears away easily from packaging. Therefore, it is generally left and goes on to be recycled. 

The problem for a small business using 'water-activated tape' is the machine needed to wet the tape starts at around £1000.

Although recycling plants don't expect us to remove sticky materials from packaging, it would be hugely beneficial if we could.