How & Where to Recycle Specific Materials

Mixed Paper

 Eau Claire County accepts the following paper materials:
-Egg cartons
-Spiral notebooks
-Paperback books
-Cereal boxes
-Construction paper
-Office paper
-Mail

Magazines, Newspaper, Catalogs and Phone Books

These items are recycled through both the curbside and drop-off programs. Materials should be kept clean and dry. If you bring them to a drop-off in a plastic bag, be sure to empty the bag out and take it home with you. If you bring them in a grocery bag, then you can recycle the bag along with the other paper.

Do you receive more catalogs than you want? If so, see the section titled Reducing Unwanted Mail.

Cardboard

Residents are required to recycle corrugated cardboard. Corrugated refers to a packaging product with two outside walls and an inner part consisting of paper which is furrowed or ridged most commonly found in heavier shipping boxes. Soda boxes, cereal boxes and similar materials are not cardboard, but referred to as boxboard or paperboard and consist of a mixture of paper, glue, and in some instances, wet-strength additives such as formaldehyde.

To be recycled, cardboard must be clean. Packaging tape and staples are easily removed in the paper pulping process and therefore are acceptable. However, if contaminated with grease, oil, paint, food or coated with wax, they cannot be accepted and should be thrown away. Packaging materials sometimes found in cardboard boxes such as styrofoam and plastic bags must be removed.

County law requires that all cardboard be broken down before it is placed on the curb for collection or put into a drop-box. Unflattened boxes take up far too much room, hide non-paper materials, and make recycling more expensive than it needs to be.

The county no longer accepts soda or beer boxes at our drop-off locations, and all other paper packaging stored in freezers and refrigerators.  These paper products are made with "wet strength" and do not break down easily in the recycling process.

If you have curbside service, check with your hauler as to which of these items they accept.