Not only do we get confused as to where our various plastics go, now we have to worry about cardboard and paper?In Ireland, we put our plastics, metals and paper/cardboard together in our dry recyclables bin and feel that we have done well to separate out this material. And you have. However, the next step is to ensure that what we recycle is recycled well.Paper is different in its recycling regime to plastic and metal. While metal and plastic go through a heat process as it is prepared for reuse as a secondary material, paper goes into a water bath with some chemicals to soften the wood fibres. If the paper is contaminated with food, grease or other pollutants, it may spoil the whole recycled paper batch.So, what do we do with our pizza boxes, sandwich wrappers and other food encrusted paper or cardboard? Don’t throw it in the black bin. Paper/cardboard is an organic material and as such can be easily composted. Just put it into your brown compost bin—it can be used to line the bottom of your bin to prevent food from sticking.Here is an interesting clip about how paper is recycled. Have a peek. Paper Recycling