West Seattle Recycling Inc. provides a paper collection service for businesses that generate large volumes of scrap papaer such as print shops. We currently provide service to over 50 printers both large and small - all the way from Snohomish County, the Eastside, downtown and South Seattle, Kent and further south. Our program features reliable, friendly service with a no-cost emphasis.
We are well-known in the industry for our excellent personal and flexible approach to meet our client's needs.
We offer a variety of containers (at no charge) incluing 95-gallon plastic wheeled "toters", and postal carts - see photos.
Our toters and postal carts used during paper collection
Toters next to a Paper Cutter at local Print Shop
Shredded paper ready to pick-up in postal cart
The toters are primarily designed for shops that have space constraints or need to store containers outside. Postal carts are used primarily for larger shops - they have a lower profile and fit nicely under a paper cutter, but cannot be stored outside. We can also provide clean, attractive-looking fiber barrels for businesses. Certain businesses also use large metal cages or cardboard gaylord boxes (not pictured), but those are unique applications.
Most of our collections are made on an "on-call" basis, with a 1-2 day lead time depending on area. (We may be able to do pick-ups on an emergency basis as well.) Most of our accounts are collected at no charge/no pay depending on volume, distance and quality of paper.
In some cases, we are able to pay our accounts for their paper: Examples of pay accounts are: large print shops with minimum contamination, accounts that generate primarily white ledger/computer paper, large newspaper accounts.
Accounts that generate a lot of "mixed waste paper" (see below) may incur a small collection fee. (In general, the more sorting that our accounts do, the more they are rewarded either through payment or no charge.)
We specialize in file purge collections for no charge.
Small fees may be necessary due to access, handling, contamination, poor quality paper, distance or other complications. Please call for specific information.
The main types of paper we collect are
WHITE LEDGER/COMPUTER PAPER
This is the highest value paper that we are willing to pay for collections of more than 500 lbs. per stop. White ledger is the same as your standard office stationery and copy paper. Please do not include ream wrappers, junk mail; keep "colored "post-its" to a minimum. Staples and paper clips are OK.
PRINTER'S MIX/"OFFICE PACK"/FILE STOCK
This is a commingled grade that mostly involves printer waste including coated and colored paper stock. Offices may include FILE STOCK, carbonless/triplicate forms, fax paper, windowed envelopes, coated brochures and flyers, all letterhead, etc. We ask that you try to keep out: astrobrights, goldenrod, brown kraft paper, chipboard, adhesive-backed paper (label stock) cardboard, glued bindings and mixed junk mail. We may be able to pay for large volume collections depending on market conditions.
NEWSPAPER
We specialize in the collection of sorted newspaper and pay the top price in town for this grade. We will provide you with a variety of containers to fit your needs.
NOTE: At any time, our customers can come into the West Seattle Recycling Center with paper and receive top dollar. We have many customers who recycle white paper and especially newspaper for cash. We are open Monday through Saturday 9-5:30. Prices range from 2-3c per pound for news and colored office to 6c for white ledger.
CONTAMINATION
Also called "mixed waste paper", these items downgrade the above higher grades of paper. In order to maximize the value of your paper, we ask that you remove these common contaminants from your paper, IF POSSIBLE. If sorting is not practical, a charge may be necessary. However, we will work with you to avoid problems or misunderstandings.
PLEASE KEEP SEPARATE
- Chipboard, brown kraft paper, cardboard
- Envelopes, junk mail
- Phone books, magazines
- astro-brights, black paper
- Tape, glued bindings, adhesive backed paper
- Trash, styrofoam, food packaging, paper towels
- Newspaper (OK if separated, see above)
NOTE: many of our accounts have several containers for "good" sorted paper (white, print mix/colored) and 1 container used for the "bad" mixed paper. As long as these grades are kept separate, and as long as you do not generate mostly mixed paper, there will be NO CHARGE. We provide signage for the different grades of paper to aid in sorting.
We ensure the confidential handling of our client's paper. All paper is put into our trucks and then sorted and baled in a secured warehouse with no public access and ultimately pulped at a mill. However, we do not shred paper. We can provice a "Certificate of Destruction" that guarantees this secure procedure will be followed.
We look forward to meeting with your business at any time to discuss our High Grade Paper Program.