Tissue Boxes

Example of empty tissue box with plastic liner
  • DO put them in curbside recycling
  • DO try to remove any plastic film (though the boxes will be accepted with the film attached)
  • DO flatten these boxes before placing in recycling

About These Items

These paperboard boxes are used to package disposable tissues. They can be recycled as mixed paper through the city’s curbside recycling pickup. Flatten these boxes before placing in your recycling materials.

It is ok to include tissue boxes with a small bit of thin plastic film (as pictured above) but if you can remove the plastic liner, that is even better. Do not insert the tissues themselves, used or clean, into recycling— these should go in the trash.

While mixed papers like these paperboard boxes are accepted curbside, it can more valuable to the city if dropped off at one of the city’s various drop-off locations. (see below)

Drop-off to increase value.

Photos of the paper dumpster collection bins at Construction Junction
Photos of the city’s paper recycling dumpsters at Construction Junction.

While the curbside pickup recycling is single-stream (meaning, all recyclables are combined together), starting in summer 2019 the city’s drop-off centers will collect some items in a separate pick-up and send to a separate facility for sorting and recycling. This separation reduces contamination of recyclables and increases their value. Mixed paper, including paperboard,is one of these items now being sent (at least some of the time) to a separate facility. So if you want your mixed paper items to have the best chance of being recycled and creating the most value, consider dropping off your mixed paper at one of these drop-off locations into the city’s mixed paper dumpsters. (Note that another of these separated items is shredded paper.)

When you drop off, the items are accepted in plastic bags. However, these bags will most likely be cut open and then discarded at the sorting facility, so consider using a paper bag for mixed paper (because it can also be recycled as mixed paper) or dumping your mixed paper loose into the dumpster.

Look for boxes without plastic film liners.

While the city’s recycling collection will accept boxes with plastic film attached, it is a small contamination of the recyclable paper stream. Many tissue boxes do not use these plastic film liners. Consider purchasing tissue boxes without plastic film.

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