What does wastepaper mean?
Wastepaper is the English mass noun for discarded or unusable paper. It normally denotes paper that has been thrown away after use, although it can also refer to spoiled surplus paper from printing or other production work. In everyday contexts, the word appears in discussions of recycling, office cleanup, and disposal, often with the idea that the material remains useful even though the original sheet no longer does. Its compact, traditional compound form gives it a slightly formal or old-fashioned tone compared with alternatives such as “paper waste” or “scrap paper,” but it remains clear and widely understood. Wastepaper is normally treated as an uncountable substance: speakers say “some wastepaper” or “a pile of wastepaper,” while plural forms are unusual except when separate quantities or pieces are being considered. The word is especially useful because it distinguishes the material from a container or sorting category. In other words, wastepaper is the discarded paper, while a wastepaper basket is where such paper may be collected.
nounDiscarded or unusable paper, especially paper thrown away after use or as part of a printing process. It may also refer collectively to discarded paper as recyclable material.
- Paper discarded because it is no longer needed or usable.
- Spoiled or surplus paper produced in printing or another paper-handling process.
"She emptied the small pile of wastepaper into the recycling bin."
"The office put boxes of wastepaper in the paper-recycling area."
"The printer rejected the spoiled wastepaper and returned to the next job."
Usually uncountable in standard usage; the plural is uncommon and is used mainly when separate pieces or bundles are meant.
"The cleaner tied the wastepapers into separate bundles for recycling."
Wastepaper has lost its original usefulness, but not necessarily its value: a discarded sheet can become another sheet in the recycling cycle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wastepaper
Wastepaper is an English compound formed from waste, meaning discarded or useless material, and paper. The word paper entered Middle English through Anglo-French from Latin papyrus, ultimately from Greek papyros, but wastepaper itself developed within English. Its modern sense follows the established meanings of both elements and came to be particularly associated with offices, printing, and household disposal.
How wastepaper is actually used
Usually treated as an uncountable mass noun: speakers say “some wastepaper,” “a pile of wastepaper,” or “wastepaper recycling.” Plural forms are uncommon and normally imply separate pieces or bundles.
Easily confused with wastepaper
Wastepaper is the discarded paper itself, whereas a wastebasket is the container in which discarded material may be collected.