Firstly, the paper needs to be sorted, so that items such as plastic wrapping strips, paper clips and staples can be detached. Then the paper is shredded and beaten into a leathery pulp and mixed with water and chemical preservatives in pulping machines. The pulp is pressed though giant rollers that squash it into sheets and squeeze out the moisture; it may also be dried in furnaces with blast of hot air. The paper is then cut to the desired size and shape and packaged for distribution.

The conversion of waste paper to finer grades appropriate for printing involves a few more steps. First, careful sorting is requisite. Waste paper is divided into categories such as newsprint; typing and computer paper and magazines which have glossy paper and colored inks and need special treatment. Next, the ink should be removed. This is done by soaking the paper and breaking it up into small pieces in giant washers then treating it with chemicals that slacken the ink so that it could be rinsed away. Sometimes more than one such chemical must be used because many types of ink must be detached. Lastly, the wet, shredded waste paper is blended with other materials according to the type of end product that is desired. Rags, which are still used to produce the finest, most costly grades of paper, may be mixed in. If white paper or paper for greeting cards or stationery is to be produced, bleach may also be added to lighten it; if newsprint is to be produced, a mixture of red and blue dyes is added to reduce the grayness of the concluding product.