SOME PAPER WON'T MAKE IT IN A `HIGH-GRADE OFFICE MIX'

December 13, 1989

When office recycling consultant Matthew Costello talks to companies about what kinds of paper to recycle, these types are on his ``no'' list: Newsprint is not part of Costello's system because recyclers are charging to take in old newspapers. Some companies, however, may find it cheaper to pay $30 a ton to have newspapers picked up by a wastepaper dealer than to pay $100 a ton to dump them in a landfill.

Colored paper (yellow legal pads, pink telephone message slips, brown kraft envelopes) taints white paper in the recyling process.

Adhesive tape and peel-off labels gum up the pulp processing. Water-soluble adhesive, like that on postage stamps, poses no problem.

Paper food containers are forever garbage.

Window envelopes can't be included unless the plastic sheets are removed.