So what happens to your paper waste after it has been sorted, graded, and bailed in ARC?
Paper waste is sent to a paper mill where it is 'slushed' into pulp and all large contaminants are removed. Any writing or colouration of the paper must first be removed by deinking, which also removes fillers, clays, and fiber fragments.
The paper pulp is often combined with pulp from newly harvested wood. As the recycling process causes the paper fibres to breakdown, each time paper is recycled its quality decreases. This means that either a higher percentage of new fibres must be added, or the paper downcycled into lower quality products.
Almost all paper can be recycled today, but some types are harder to recycle than others. Papers coated with plastic or aluminium foil, and papers that are waxed, pasted, or gummed are usually not recycled because the process is too expensive. Gift wrap paper also cannot be recycled due to the its already low quality.
Consider glossy newspaper inserts: they are a different type of paper from the newspaper. Glossy inserts have a heavy clay coating that some paper mills cannot accept. Most of the clay is removed from the recycled pulp as sludge which must be disposed.
Recycled paper can be made into a range of paper products, like: