How to Recycle Padded Mailers (Paper)
Shipping mailers made entirely of paper, including crinkle-paper and molded-paper cushioning formats that have replaced plastic bubble padding in a growing share of e-commerce packaging.
Quick answer
Yes, if the mailer is entirely paper, including newer molded-paper cushioning. Fully paper padded mailers go in curbside paper recycling along with other mixed paper. If the padding is plastic bubble wrap, or the envelope combines a paper shell with a plastic bubble lining, it isn't recyclable curbside; separate the layers if you can, or trash it.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- Recycling code
- PAPER
- 1Confirm the mailer is 100% paper - no plastic bubble lining or plastic film window
- 2Remove shipping labels if they peel off easily
- 3Make sure it's dry and free of food or liquid residue
- Curbside recycling (where mixed paper is accepted)
- Paper drop-off bins
All-paper padded mailers recycle into the same fiber stream as other mixed paper, keeping a growing e-commerce packaging format out of landfills.
How can I tell if a padded mailer is all paper?
Tear a small corner or feel the padding through the envelope. All-paper mailers use crinkled paper or a honeycomb-style molded-paper cushion that feels papery and tears easily. If the padding feels like small air-filled plastic bubbles, it's a bubble mailer, not an all-paper one.
Can I recycle a mailer that's paper on the outside but has bubble wrap inside?
Not curbside. A paper shell bonded to a plastic bubble lining is mixed material that most paper mills and most plastic film recyclers will both reject. If you can peel the layers apart, recycle each separately (paper curbside, clean film at a store drop-off); if you can't, it goes in the trash.
Do I need to remove the shipping label first?
It helps but isn't required for most paper recycling programs - small amounts of label adhesive and ink are screened out during pulping. Just make sure the envelope itself is dry, empty, and free of any plastic components.
Recycling centers that accept Padded Mailers (Paper)
RecycleFind lists recycling centers that accept padded mailers (paper). Open a listing for hours, contact info, and directions.