Can You Recycle Glossy Paper, Magazines and Catalogues?

Yes, most clean and dry glossy paper, magazines and catalogues can be recycled with household paper. Remove plastic wrapping and attached samples; permanently laminated, heavily contaminated or plastic-coated pages may need another route.

How mills recycle glossy paper, magazines and catalogues

Magazine and catalogue paper commonly uses clay-based coatings to create a smooth print surface. During pulping, usable paper fibres can still be recovered and the coating is managed as part of the process. Staples in the spine are also routinely removed, so dismantling a normal magazine is rarely necessary.

Remove obvious non-paper extras

Take off polythene mailing wrap, plastic address carriers, perfume or cosmetic sachets, membership cards, magnets and promotional discs. These items can damage paper quality or become litter when the publication breaks apart. A paper address sheet may stay with the magazine, but detach any section that is clearly made from another material.

Recognise laminated and metallic finishes

Try tearing an edge. Paper tears fibrously, whereas a laminated layer stretches or peels as a plastic skin. Foil stamping on a title is different from a whole foil-backed sheet, but heavily metallic, glittered or waterproof paper may be unsuitable. When the construction is unclear, use the publisher’s label and council list.

Keep the fibre dry and clean

Do not recycle a magazine soaked by rain, paint or cooking oil. A small coffee mark may not ruin an entire catalogue, but badly contaminated pages should be removed. Store paper in a covered container and do not tie it in a plastic bag unless your council specifically provides bags for paper collection.

Reduce unwanted paper at the source

Cancel catalogues you no longer read, switch recurring publications to digital only when that genuinely suits you, and place a no-junk-mail notice on the letterbox. Share current magazines with friends, waiting rooms or community groups after removing personal address details. Reuse extends their value before the paper finally returns to a mill.

Test unusual glossy pages

Most magazines tear like paper even when the surface shines. A page that stretches, peels into layers or resists tearing may be plastic-laminated and needs a local check. Remove inserted product samples, stickers on plastic backing sheets and thick membership cards before recycling the publication. You do not normally need to remove ordinary metal spine staples, and tearing out every printed advertisement does not improve the recovered fibre. Catalogues delivered in a plastic sleeve should be unwrapped before collection. Keep the publication dry, and use a supermarket flexible-plastic point for a clean accepted sleeve where available.

Official sources

• GOV.UK – Simpler Recycling: household recycling in England
• Recycle Now – recycling guidance

Sources checked: August 2026. Local services and national requirements can change.