Is Wax Paper Recyclable

The answer can be either yes or no.

Is wax paper recyclable.

You may know several of its forms as 1 2 and 4 plastic. However you can reuse parchment paper several times and then ultimately compost it. If you re planning to compost your wax paper after use then you might want to reconsider. One of the biggest selling points for wax paper is that it s compostable and recyclable which is great for any company deli or restaurant trying to decrease their carbon footprint.

Wax paper is a mixed bag. But if you simply have to use it to make those homemade biscuits or fluffy sugar cookies don t toss your wax paper into the trash after using it. The paper in wax paper is a compostable material. Generally waxed paper is either coated with soybean based or paraffin based.

Other mixed paper products that can t be recycled are. Vegetable oil is organic and is okay for composting. The practice of oiling parchment or paper in order to make it semi translucent or moisture proof goes back at least to the middle ages paper impregnated or coated with purified beeswax was widely used throughout the 19th century to retain or exclude moisture or to wrap. Actually the paper that uses soybean oil based waxed paper is compostable.

Unlike the lamination used on other boxes though the plastic in wax coated cardboard can t be cleanly separated from the paper underneath. The wax is either soybean based or one of two kinds of paraffin. And you may know it is coated with non stick materials like silicon. Butcher paper or freezer paper is coated with plastic.

According to information from montana state university extension wax paper will not decompose efficiently and you may find pieces of it left in the compostable pile. Wax paper is considered mixed paper because it is paper coated with wax. Soybean wax is organic but it is a wax and is difficult for microbes to digest. Any paper that is stained with food or cooking oils are not recyclable so parchment paper is out.

And the same university s home and garden information center stated they would not recommend composting parchment paper. Again it is hard for the. Paraffin is composed of either vegetable oil or petroleum based. The first typical questions that i often get is whether or not wax paper is compostable.

Wax paper also waxed paper or paraffin paper is paper that has been made moisture proof through the application of wax. The wax is usually actually polyethylene a type of plastic that s widely used and widely recycled. With all that being said the simple answer is no wax paper is not recyclable because it is coated with well wax. It s neither recyclable or compostable.

A wax paper can be made of either soybean wax or paraffin.