Recyclability is really important to most consumers today. They want to be able to recycle as much as possible rather than sending rubbish to landfill or an incinerator. So, businesses need to choose products carefully. Luckily, they can still choose beautiful embellishments with recyclable foils.
A lot of people question whether paper products with foil details are recyclable. In the past most would have said no. However, today that is not the case. High quality foils are suitable for recycling, whether they are on labels, packaging, or even wrapping paper. Generally as long as there isn’t a laminate film, you can recycle.
To help show why modern foils are recyclable, we want to take a closer look at the process for recycling paper. We’ll look at how it works, why there were problems in the past, and why it is so much better now.
The process
Recycling paper is an interesting multi-step process. What happens is you collect and sort it into categories. You then shred it and add water to create a pulp. The repulping process breaks down the fibres and works to separate ink and coatings, including removing recyclable foils. Additives can help with deinking and brighten the colour. There is also cleaning and filtering to get rid of glue, staples, and other debris or contaminants.
Once the pulp is ready, the next stage is reformation. This involves mixing with more water. The resulting slurry is formed into paper stock. It passes through rollers and screens to form a sheet. Next is a drying phase before any additional treatment is done. Finally, the paper is wound to create parent rolls.
The original problem
Foil got its bad reputation for not being recyclable because originally it was thicker. As a result, during the repulping process it could come off the paper and cause big problems for equipment like shredders.
Recyclable foils are a massive improvement here. They are incredibly thin. That means they tend to dissipate during the pulping. They also won’t cause issues for the shredding equipment.
Lots of different materials
Recycled paper has more uses today than ever before. For example, it can create printing and writing paper, packing materials, business cards, invitations, tissues, labels, inserts, and more. It is even useful for creating cardboard and paperboard.
Progress with paper recycling will continue all around the world to preserve materials and help the environment. Places like Japan are leading the way, ensuring over 80% of paper is recycled. It is one of the best recycling rates in the world.
Ask us about recyclable foils
Recycling paper is a great way to save resources, reduce deforestation, and protect the environment. With high quality foils, you don’t need to worry about your embellishments meaning people can’t recycle. So, you should make sure you use them and let people know not to throw things away.
Foiling Services has been working hard to be one of the most reliable companies in our industry for a long time. We are proactive when it comes to expanding the range of foils we have access to. As soon as recyclable foils became available, we knew we had to start offering them.
So, if you want quality foil, speak to us.