How Can You Recycle Binders?

How Can You Recycle Binders?

Can you recycle binders? Yes! Why? Because since 2010, a US company called Naked Binders started creating recyclable binders made with 100% Forest Stewardship Council certified board. For years, binders made of vinyl have served the purpose and were cheap to buy. But the only problem was that they were tough to recycle. Now, neither people cut wood to create binders nor face any recycling issues.

Tested to withstand more than 2,50,000 flexes or 34 years of opening/closing for 20 times a day, the Naked Binders has given us products that last. These are absolutely recyclable and reduces toxic by 40 million pounds per year. The binders are customizable for office, personal use, school work, and more. The Ohio-based company also recycles pocket folders, tab dividers, labels, and more.

Can you recycle binders?

Yes, you can recycle binders. To recycle binders through the curbside collection you will require a flat head screwdriver. It will help you pop out the rings which you can discard once done.

If you want to recycle a vinyl binder, you need a knife to cut open the vinyl by half an inch from the edge of each panel and on the spine to remove the chipboard panels on the inside. The process will help you segregate the components for recycling. Along with metal rings, this kind of recycling will leave you with vinyl and chipboard.

The issue with vinyl binders is that several municipalities don’t have materials to accept or reuse the item. You need to find out if your municipality can accept the post-consumer materials and recycle them.

How to reuse used binders?

Using circular methods of reuse and recycle can bring an upcycling perspective and add value to waste. Check out the following points to know how you can add a new life to old binders:

  • Cover it with fabric and turn it into a photo album
  • Take out the ringed part for creating an instant hook bar
  • Create a personalized calendar
  • Organize all that you need – from sewing supplies, holiday clings, to DVDs to store them in the binders
  • Use it as a unique purse

How to organize a binder for school?

The first thing that comes to your mind when you think of school is how you used to need binders back then. You probably want them again for your child or you’re looking for ways to use it in college. We will tell you how you can organize binders once you have recycled the usage.

1. Know what you need

You will have a supply list in school and you’d have to follow that. You might not be sure if you need binders or notebooks or folders, so be specific about what your teacher asks you to get.

2. Assemble what you need

Once you get all your stationery, find out what you need. You will need essential school supplies and things for binders like erasers, pencils, sticky notes, highlighters, colored pens, and more.

There are people who’d rather carry such supplies in their backpack. But you might always want binders so that they are not scattered or lost.

3. Buy a comfortable product

The binder you use should be comfortable for you to carry or manage. You might want different binders for different subjects. You can also buy a big binder and categorize things within the segregated spaces for each subject.

4. Choose the best binder

When buying a fresh piece, ask yourself, “can you recycle binders?” or “can this binder be recycled?” It will determine what to buy or what you need. (bmisurplus.com) There are usually three sizes of binders:

  • The big binders of three inches that fit in all your stationery
  • Bunch of little binders that give you a half inch or one inch for every subject
  • Three or four medium-sized binders of one to two inches.

Most students like to carry a small binder to school and then transfer their old work to a bigger one kept at home. It keeps them away from carrying the extra weight of notebooks ad textbooks. Pick what you need, want, or what your school asks you to do.

5. Buy quality binders

You will want a binder to last all through the year but some of them will not. Although you can recycle it, you should at least buy binders that will last a year. It is worth spending a few extra dollars and get long-lasting binders than the ones that don’t last all.

6. Buy dividers

Buy dividers that have pockets so that you don’t need to buy folders separately. These are not expensive depending on how many you need. These usually come in a pack of five or eight. Get dividers with pockets or choose plastic/laminated paper dividers because the plain paper ones can rip off or get crinkled easily.

7. Label every divider with subjects

It is best to use dividers in order so you can add the classes or subjects accordingly. For example, if you have an English class first, you will keep essentials in the first divider.

8. Use something for taking notes

Notes as essential to get higher grades and be up to the mark in the class. The older you get you will find yourself only taking notes instead of reading big textbooks. You must have a spiral or some paper for taking notes. But if the school doesn’t allow spirals, you will have to use notebooks and add them in the subjective dividers.

9. Use color codes

When you use color codes every subject, you can easily reach out to the binder to take out what you need. For example, you can use a blue half-inch binder or diver for Mathematics, red for History, and green for English. This will help store and take out the essentials you need as and when you want to.

10. Keep everything inside the binder

Some subjects might need specific things that you don’t want to miss out on at the last moment. Keeping them inside the binder will help. Another useful thing is having an insertable binder with a hole punch that will help you place all the papers in an exact manner. Doing this will keep the binder organized.

Final thoughts

Now, you not only have the answer to ‘can you recycle binders’ but also how to organize and use them at school. These tips will work for college, office, or any other place where you need this essential stationery equipment.

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