Facts About Magazines

How Magazines are Made

Magazines are made out of paper that has been coated and buffed by a process called “supercalendering,” in order to give a glossy appearance. During this process, paper is covered with a white clay called “kaolin” and put under high pressure rollers.  The resulting shiny pages are suitable for color photographs.

Getting the Word Out

Many consumers are afraid to put magazines into paper bins, but the glossy paper does not contaminate paper recycling. Magazines are now accepted by all curbside recycling programs that collect paper. Find out more about your local recycling program using Earth911.

According to the Magazine Publishers of America, only 20 percent of magazines are recycled from the home.

Many of the nation’s top publishers are working together to raise people’s awareness of magazine recycling.

Where a Recycled Magazine Goes

Once recycled, magazines cannot be used to make new magazines.  However, they do help to make newspaper, tissue, writing paper and paperboard.  Don’t be shy about recycling magazines; recycled paper saves 60 percent of the energy needed to make new paper.