Recycling of Three Holographic Stamp Stocks, 1996 Pulping Conference Proceedings

Said Abubakr, David W. Bormett, Nancy Ross Sutherland and John Klungness -

USDA Forest Service

Alim Fatah and Rajendra Kunar

US Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service is in the process of developing printed holograms for use as postage stamps. The object of this study was to determine the recyclability of printed holograms that are similar to those intended to be used for postage stamps. In this study, we used a pilot-scale recycling process protocol developed for the U.S. Postal Service. Holograms supplied by three companies were evaluated with respect to a control of commercial photocopy paper. The contaminant was mainly aluminum foil particles, which were removed by forward cleaners and flotation. Even at high levels of concentration, the aluminum foil did not pose a problem. Dying the handsheets was not needed to measure the level of aluminum. We did not find any problem with the recyclability of holographic stamp stock. We suggest that the adhesive to be used for affixing the stamps should also be evaluated for recyclability.