Where to throw greasy paper?

Papers for gastronomic use are among the types of paper that we handle most in everyday life: think of the paper to wrap focaccia or sliced pizza, or that for the packaging of cold cuts, cheeses or fishery products. Often and willingly, however, we are unsure about their correct destination in separate collection. This is because in appearance and consistency they are clearly distinguished from common paper: they are often shiny to the eye and slimy to the touch. So do they go in the paper collection, in the plastic one or in the undifferentiated one? It depends. Let’s find out how to behave to avoid making more mistakes and improve the quality of recycling.

Oiled paper
Oiled paper is a sheet of paper covered on both sides by a thin layer of wax that makes it waterproof and non-stick. It is a single, inseparable piece, which finds many uses in the gastronomic field, for example in the packaging of cold cuts and cheeses in grocery stores or of focaccia, pizza and other bakery products. The reason for this widespread use lies in the specific characteristics of this product: the presence of the plastic film in fact preserves the paper from the passage of humidity and thus guarantees a better preservation of food, as well as facilitating its transport by consumers.

In most cases, oiled paper should be placed in the undifferentiated container. However, if it is explicitly indicated that it is recyclable, it must be placed in the paper and cardboard container.

Paper with separable plastic film
A different discussion must be made for that particular paper used to wrap cold cuts and counter products, in which the sheet of paper is joined to a transparent plasticized patina that can be removed manually. A type of wrapping very common in the gastronomy departments of supermarkets, especially when, having to package more etti of cold cuts, the latter is arranged on several layers separated, precisely, by plastic films. Since they can be separated, the two materials in this case must be placed in their respective bins of separate collection:

• the plastic layer should be placed in the plastic collection;
• the sheet of paper should instead be thrown in the organic bag if it is greasy, in the paper and cardboard collection, if clean.