Can tickets be recycled?

[Belperpete]

Why I avoid e-tickets

Moderator note: Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/when-purchasing-tickets-online-to-collect-at-a-station-why-does-it-ask-which-station-i%E2%80%99m-collecting-the-ticket-from.302167 1778835089 I would advise avoiding TOD (ticket on departure) collection, and use e-tickets...

www.railforums.co.uk

Comments were made on the above thread about e-tickets, that paper tickets cannot be recycled due them being printed on thermal paper. But is it true?

Different local authorities seem to set different recycling criteria. Where I lived previously, they didn't like us recycling window envelopes, for example, but my current local authority explicitly says they are okay.

I have read through my local authority's long list of what it doesn't want in its recyling, and nowhere does it mention not accepting thermal printouts. Greaseproof paper no, sticky paper no, food waste paper no, etc etc. It does say that you shouldn't recycle tickets with a magnetic stripe on them, but nowhere does it mention other forms of paper tickets, or thermal printouts, as being unacceptable.

 

[AlterEgo]

Thermal paper usually contains bisphenol which renders them - and sometimes other paper in the same receptacle - unrecyclable. You should dispose of them in the general waste.

This company is apparently making a new type of thermal paper which can be recylced: https://www.pospaper.com/blogs/news...BvJyRA_NSpmJwTuv1_i306BQBY_N9iMip9Di5jRwotsl7

 

[blimmo]

I wouldn't worry about recycling paper tickets, since they will be relatively low value recycled anyway.

If your local authority has an energy from waste plant for general waste then some of the energy that went into making it is recovered anyway. It's much more important to recycle (or even better reuse) metal and glass since they are much higher energy to make from virgin material.

I wouldn't want to risk contaminating the batch with thermal paper.

 

[saismee]

Thermal paper usually contains bisphenol which renders them - and sometimes other paper in the same receptacle - unrecyclable. You should dispose of them in the general waste.

This company is apparently making a new type of thermal paper which can be recylced: https://www.pospaper.com/blogs/news...BvJyRA_NSpmJwTuv1_i306BQBY_N9iMip9Di5jRwotsl7

I understand it means "point of sale" but if passengers heard their flimsy new tickets used "POS paper" I think they would agree.

 

[hexagon789]

Thermal paper usually contains bisphenol which renders them - and sometimes other paper in the same receptacle - unrecyclable. You should dispose of them in the general waste.

I can't speak for the railway, but around 3-4 years ago at my place of work we switched to phenol-free thermal paper (the boxes the stock came in all carried labels proudly proclaiming such) and, after using up the old stocks first, are now able to recycle any thermally printed items in the paper/cardboard recycling.

Though it is the railway, so I would necessarily be surprised if they continued using phenol-containing thermal paper.

 

[greatkingrat]

Can the recycling centre distinguish between the two types though? Or would they dump it all to be safe?

 

[saismee]

Can the recycling centre distinguish between the two types though? Or would they dump it all to be safe?

As AlterEgo said, it can contaminate the rest of the paper with it.

 

[Adam Williams]

CCST (which is what the forum ticketing site was referring to) definitely cannot be recycled using today's processes.

The magnetic strip is typically made of plastic or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and contains magnetic particles. Paragon did some work to use water as the solvent instead of other volatile compounds, so they're environmentally better than they used to be, but they're not recyclable and the presence of enough of them will ruin a batch of pulp.

 

[Belperpete]

Thermal paper usually contains bisphenol which renders them - and sometimes other paper in the same receptacle - unrecyclable. You should dispose of them in the general waste.

This company is apparently making a new type of thermal paper which can be recylced: https://www.pospaper.com/blogs/news/thermal-printer-paper-is-it-recyclable?srsltid=AfmBOooRcSSBvJyRA_NSpmJwTuv1_i306BQBY_N9iMip9Di5jRwotsl

I am reluctant to believe the website of a company with a vested financial interest in the issue:

Thermal Printer Paper: Is it Recyclable?

Thermal paper rolls have been around for over 50 years. Over that time, thermal paper has been utilized for POS receipts, labels, tickets, and even medical charts. It’s a highly-effective, very reliable, and extremely versatile paper source that grew in popularity in the 1970s. As the world...

www.pospaper.com

is BPA-free thermal paper recyclable? The answer to that question is yes. Better yet, BPA-free and phenol-free thermal paper is becoming much more common in today’s environmentally-friendly society.

In fact, we also supply a line of Phenol-free thermal paper that’s 100% recyclable. We offer various different sizes -- both in width and in length -- to ensure your company has access to everything it needs. You can even save some serious money with our bulk order discounts!

All I have found points me to local authority websites for details of exactly what each does and does not want. And my local authority certainly doesn't include thermal paper in its list of types of paper not to recycle, nor does the government sponsored website it points me at. So who exactly is it saying not to recycle thermal paper?

Interestingly, the latter says that cardboard and paper should be recycled separately, as otherwise the recycled paper is of a lower quality. However, unlike where I used to live where they were collected separately, my current local authority collects them both in the same container. I suspect that they are going for quantity (to meet government targets) rather than quality.

 

[AlterEgo]

I am reluctant to believe the website of a company with a vested financial interest in the issue.

OK, well, don't recycle their thermal paper either.

All I have found points me to local authority websites for details of exactly what each does and does not want. And my local authority certainly doesn't include thermal paper in its list of types of paper not to recycle, nor does the government sponsored website it points me at. So who exactly is it saying not to recycle thermal paper?

The BBC.

10 things you can’t put in your household recycling

After McDonald's says its paper straws cannot be recycled, what other items only go in general waste?

www.bbc.com

What can and can’t be recycled from your food shop?

How much of the contents of your recycling bin are you 100% sure can be recycled?

www.bbc.co.uk

Government sites like this:

Train tickets | NLWA

These are non-recyclable because they're made from more than one material and therefore impossible to separate, but they also contain a combination of potentially harmful chemicals. Try to avoid printed train tickets whenever you can and always place them in your general waste bin.

www.nlwa.gov.uk

The railway industry, when moving away from magstripes/thermal paper and onto PRT:

Cutting the waste: EMR upgrade printers to allow half a million tickets to be recycled | East Midlands Railway News

Staff on board will now issue paper tickets More than 600,000 tickets can now be recycled £116,000 initiative cuts down waste and reduces impact on environment

news.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

If it's shiny then it is probably thermal paper and cannot be recycled.

Our local council excludes it; if yours doesn't, then either they have some way of separating it, or some process of removing the chemicals, or they have simply overlooked its exclusion. I know which of those seems most likely to me.

 

[Adam Williams]

If you are more inclined to trust the council, why don't you write to them and get them to ask their contractor

 

[Belperpete]

OK, well, don't recycle their thermal paper either.


The BBC.

10 things you can’t put in your household recycling

After McDonald's says its paper straws cannot be recycled, what other items only go in general waste?

www.bbc.com

What can and can’t be recycled from your food shop?

How much of the contents of your recycling bin are you 100% sure can be recycled?

www.bbc.co.uk

Government sites like this:

Train tickets | NLWA

These are non-recyclable because they're made from more than one material and therefore impossible to separate, but they also contain a combination of potentially harmful chemicals. Try to avoid printed train tickets whenever you can and always place them in your general waste bin.

www.nlwa.gov.uk

The railway industry, when moving away from magstripes/thermal paper and onto PRT:

Cutting the waste: EMR upgrade printers to allow half a million tickets to be recycled | East Midlands Railway News

Staff on board will now issue paper tickets More than 600,000 tickets can now be recycled £116,000 initiative cuts down waste and reduces impact on environment

news.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

Can I suggest that you cast a critical eye of your sources before quoting them?

One is a news source that is both self contradictory and lacks source references. The second is a LOCAL government website stating what is acceptable in North London. And the third is an EMR website explaining why they are giving up on mag stripe tickets. The first is just sensationalist click bait (has the BBC really sunk so low?), the others are totally irrelevant.

For example, the NLWA website says that paper that includes other materials cannot be recycled. That was true where I used to live, where envelopes with plastic windows were barred, but is not true where I now live, and the local authority specifically says window envelopes can be included.


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jun 2026 ==

If you are more inclined to trust the council, why don't you write to them and get them to ask their contractor

Because I am inclined to trust my council, rather than unsupported claims put out by those less knowledgeable.

 

[AlterEgo]

Can I suggest that you cast a critical eye of your sources before quoting them?

One is a news source that is both self contradictory and lacks source references. The second is a LOCAL government website stating what is acceptable in North London. And the third is an EMR website explaining why they are giving up on mag stripe tickets. The first is just sensationalist click bait (has the BBC really sunk so low?), the others are totally irrelevant.

And yet you don't cite any source references or sources yourself, you've just mentioned you've checked *your* local authority in a long list you don't provide. That's it. That's your only source. And I am inclined to think you are being truthful about that.

You asked "who exactly is it saying not to recycle thermal paper?" and I have responded, with the state broadcaster saying it, and someone else's local authority, and the industry itself explaining the new bog roll type is recyclable where the others weren't.

So that is who is saying they cannot be recycled.

Naturally, you don't like any of those sources. Of course you wouldn't. But I did give you what you asked for.

I'm not trying to prove to you that whatever your own local authority says is wrong. I'm just saying "this is why other people do not recycle thermal paper".

 

[Adam Williams]

Because I am inclined to trust my council, rather than unsupported claims put out by those less knowledgeable.

But your council hasn't made a claim either way (and you dismiss the local authorities who do say it is non-recyclable - seemingly you either think e.g. North London has much inferior recycling facilities to wherever you live or their council staff are less knowledgeable). Absence of a warning is much more likely to be an oversight than an assertion that the material is recyclable.

My own council area is silent on the matter, but more to the point has a variety of bad advice - e.g. lithium batteries are set-up to suggest disposal in the bin (which is a terrible idea). Clearly not a reliable source.



In any case, the only way you're going to get an answer you put any stock in is to ask the council directly (for better or worse). That's why I'm suggesting you ask them.

You can update us here afterwards once they reply and tell you that they're non-recyclable.

 

[Belperpete]

And yet you don't cite any source references or sources yourself, you've just mentioned you've checked *your* local authority in a long list you don't provide. That's it. That's your only source. And I am inclined to think you are being truthful about that.

You asked "who exactly is it saying not to recycle thermal paper?" and I have responded, with the state broadcaster saying it, and someone else's local authority, and the industry itself explaining the new bog roll type is recyclable where the others weren't.

So that is who is saying they cannot be recycled.

Naturally, you don't like any of those sources. Of course you wouldn't. But I did give you what you asked for.

No they aren't saying that, and no you haven't provided what I asked for, so naturally I am unhappy with those sources.

The BBC website is careful to state upfront that the advice doesn't apply everywhere. The NLWA website says that they can't recycle thermal paper, not that thermal paper can't be recycled. As I said, they say that they can't process paper that includes other materials, which is clearly not the case elsewhere. And the EMR press release is about replacing mag stripe tickets, and as far as I can see has no relevance to thermal paper whatsoever.

 

[AlterEgo]

No they aren't saying that, and no you haven't provided what I asked for, so naturally I am unhappy with those sources.

I provided exactly what you asked for. You're confused as to why people would tell you that you can't recycle thermal paper, so I've shown exactly why that is. I'm not making any claims on those sources, I'm literally providing examples of where people might read from places they'd consider authoritative that you cannot recycle train tickets or thermal paper.

You're the one who has come into the thread with the premise of your rejection of e-tickets, suggesting that retailers, other local authorities, he industry and "other people" don't know what they're talking about or are biased. No source which says "you can't recycle tickets" is acceptable but your own local authority is.

I'd suggest that's confirmation bias.

It may well be the case that *you* can recycle train tickets where *you* live but it seems to me to be well founded that other people might believe those items are not recyclable and they would be talking about the same in a national context in good faith. I'd agree with @Adam Williams - exclusions are not exhaustive and it seems more likely to me that your own local authority has missed this niche item from its list of exclusions. However, they might also have a different process.

I don't care either way.

 

[Belperpete]

But your council hasn't made a claim either way (and you dismiss the local authorities who do say it).

I dismiss such advise because it is both irrelevant and misleading to those who don't live in those areas. Different authorities have different contracts, and just because one authority does or does not allow a certain item should not be used as any guidance as to whether another authority does or doesn't. As per my example of window envelopes. What North London may or may not accept is totally irrelevant to people living elsewhere..

In any case, the only way you're going to get an answer you put any stock in is to ask the council directly (for better or worse). That's why I'm suggesting you ask them.

You can update us here afterwards once they reply and tell you that they're non-recyclable.

I am not going to bother them unless someone can provide me with something more solid than internet tittle-tattle to support such a claim.

 

[AlterEgo]

I am not going to bother them unless someone can provide me with something more solid than internet tittle-tattle to support such a claim.

Which local authority is it? I'll do it, I have time to kill tomorrow.

 

[Belperpete]

I provided exactly what you asked for. You're confused as to why people would tell you that you can't recycle thermal paper, so I've shown exactly why that is. I'm not making any claims on those sources, I'm literally providing examples of where people might read from places they'd consider authoritative that you cannot recycle train tickets or thermal paper.

You're the one who has come into the thread with the premise of your rejection of e-tickets, suggesting that retailers, other local authorities, he industry and "other people" don't know what they're talking about or are biased. No source which says "you can't recycle tickets" is acceptable but your own local authority is.

I'd suggest that's confirmation bias.

It may well be the case that *you* can recycle train tickets where *you* live but it seems to me to be well founded that other people might believe those items are not recyclable and they would be talking about the same in a national context in good faith. I'd agree with @Adam Williams - exclusions are not exhaustive and it seems more likely to me that your own local authority has missed this niche item from its list of exclusions. However, they might also have a different process.

I don't care either way.

I repeat : no you haven't.

I asked for a source that says definitively that thermal paper cannot be recycled. You have not provided anything like that. You have provided one source that says thermal paper cannot usually be recycled, one source that says a particular area cannot recycle thermal paper, and a third source that seems to have no relevance to thermal paper whatsoever. None of them say that thermal paper cannot be recycled. I agree that you might get the impression they say that, but they don't. I think it is your confirmation bias that is clicking in here.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jun 2026 ==

Which local authority is it? I'll do it, I have time to kill tomorrow.

Gwynedd