Sell waste paper: get offers from UK mills, merchants and collectors
Post what you have, free, and the UK paper merchants and waste carriers who want it contact you with offers. No account needed, and your listing is live in two minutes.
Get offers for your paper
Tell UK buyers and waste carriers what you have and where it is. Your listing goes live straight away and the businesses that are interested contact you directly.
What waste paper is worth
Waste paper is sold by the tonne, graded under the EN 643 list, and the price follows demand from paper mills. Sorted white office paper is worth the most of the common grades, newspapers and magazines sit in the middle, and mixed paper is worth the least. Shredded paper is worth less than the same paper whole, because shredding shortens the fibres, so shred only what confidentiality requires.
Clean, sorted paper in regular quantities is bought. Small or mixed amounts are collected, and a confidential waste collection is a service you pay for, with the paper recycled afterwards.
Waste paper grades
The EN 643 grades buyers use most. Keep grades apart and say which you have.
| Grade | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sorted office paper (2.05) | White and lightly printed office paper, free of card and envelopes with windows | The best of the common grades |
| White shavings (3.05 and 3.18) | Unprinted white offcuts from printers and converters | Above sorted office paper |
| Newspapers and magazines (1.11) | Sorted graphic paper for deinking | Mid range, priced as its own grade |
| Mixed paper and board (1.02) | Paper of all kinds mixed with card and packaging | The lowest common grade |
| Shredded paper | Office paper after shredding | Below whole paper of the same kind; baled shred is easier to sell |
| Books | Hardbacks with covers removed, paperbacks whole | Specialist buyers; covers and glue lower the value |
How to prepare waste paper for sale
- Keep white office paper apart from coloured paper, card, envelopes and newspapers. Mixing grades means being paid the lowest one.
- Keep it dry and clean. Food, drink and oil contaminate a whole bale.
- Shred only what must be shredded, and bale or bag the shred, because loose shred is slow to handle and blows about.
- Bale it if you produce more than about a tonne a month; baled paper is bought and loose paper is collected.
- Count bales or weigh sacks before you ask for offers, and say how often the paper comes.
- For confidential paper, ask for a certificate of destruction and keep it with your records.
How selling works here
- Post your waste paper in the form above: what it is, roughly how much, where it is and how often it comes. Two minutes, no account.
- Your listing goes live at once. Buyers and waste carriers who are logged in press Show contact details and get in touch directly; carriers who asked for alerts in your area hear about it the next morning.
- Compare the offers. Check the buyer's registration, agree the price and the collection, get a transfer note for the load, and be paid by bank transfer.
- A week later we email you once to ask whether anyone got in touch, with one click to remove the listing when the material has gone.
Your legal duties when you sell waste paper
- Duty of care. Hand your waste paper only to someone authorised to take it. Check the collector on the Environment Agency public register of waste carriers before the first collection; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland keep their own registers.
- A transfer note for every load, on paper or as a PDF, or one annual note for regular collections of the same material from the same site. Keep it for two years. What a waste transfer note must include.
- Carrying it yourself. If you take your own business waste to a buyer, register first as a lower tier waste carrier. It is free. Who needs a waste carrier licence.
- Separation at work. In England, workplaces must keep dry recyclables (glass, metal, plastic, paper and card) and food waste apart from general waste for collection, with paper and card collected separately from the other dry recyclables unless your collector agrees otherwise. Businesses with fewer than 10 employees have until 31 March 2027. The Simpler Recycling rules.
- Personal data on paper is covered by UK GDPR until it is destroyed. Use a collector who shreds or pulps it under contract and gives you a certificate of destruction.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own versions of these rules. This is a plain English summary, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is shredded paper worth selling?
It is worth less than the same paper whole, because shredding shortens the fibres and loose shred is hard to handle. Baled shred from an office is still bought by some merchants, so post it and see. Shred only the paper that must be shredded.
Who buys waste paper?
Paper merchants, who sort and bale it for mills, and the mills themselves for large regular volumes. Waste carriers collect smaller amounts and sell on. Our directory lists UK companies that collect or buy paper and cardboard, and the form above puts your paper in front of them.
Can envelopes and glossy paper go in?
Envelopes are accepted in mixed paper but not in sorted office paper, because of windows and glue. Glossy magazines go with newspapers as graphic paper. Waxed, laminated or foil backed paper cannot be recycled with the rest.
What about confidential documents?
Treat them as personal data until they are destroyed. Use a collector who shreds or pulps under contract and issues a certificate of destruction, and keep the certificate for your records. The paper is recycled afterwards.
Is it really free to list here?
Yes. Posting is free, you do not need an account, and we take no commission. Buyers and carriers register free to see your contact details.
More help
- Cardboard recycling prices UK, updated monthly
- The directory: UK companies that collect or buy paper and cardboard, by area
- Collect or buy waste paper? Get an email when it is listed in your areas, and claim your company page
- Sell cardboard: get offers from UK buyers and collectors
- Sell office waste
- Sell plastic waste: get offers from UK recyclers and collectors
- Confidential waste disposal: getting it right under UK GDPR
- Document shredding: shred sizes, retention and what to keep
- Paper recycling in the UK: how it works, what can go in and business collections