waste paper
1
1.1
- noun
- /weɪst ˈpeɪpər/
:
papel de desecho
- It had been found by Madame Bastian, the charlady who emptied the German embassy's waste paper baskets.
- waste paper basket
- waste paper collection
- recycle waste paper
The flame goes up, lights the Rockets, but it ain't going to be a little waste paper basket.
- The flame goes up, lights the Rockets, but it ain't going to be a little waste paper basket.
Examples
-
Frayed and dust-stained, uncatalogued, they'll be sold as waste paper or burned.
Fiction book (1999) -
I didn't give myself time to feel surprised or pleased at the care she took to collect my crumpled and shredded waste paper; I just let myself go, without censoring what came to my lips.
Fiction book (1992) -
However, the value of waste paper for recycling is low; this is why little of it is recycled.
Fiction book (1995) -
I always keep a little waste paper basket or grocery bag nearby for tissues.
Blog text (27) -
With the support of non-governmental organizations, we organized a campaign to collect waste paper and glass.
Academic text (2010) -
In Neyagawa, local civic organizations or private companies promote paper recycling and conduct door-to-door waste paper collection programs.
Academic text (2001) -
Photo (black & white): Trade measures should increase incentives for sustainable practices such as recycling; here, a man recycles bagged waste paper in Malaysia.
Academic text (1995) -
According to one account, in the early 1990s, bands in the town of Maissade, in the central plateau area of Haiti, made their costumes from waste paper gathered from the offices of the local Peace Corps project.
Academic text (1996) -
Businesses often dispose of old invoices and reports as waste paper to keep their records organized.
-
To create new products, many manufacturers rely on waste paper collected from offices and homes.
Synonyms
4
2.0
Paper that people use and then throw away or recycle
How Recyclable
1
1.1
1
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'paper that has been discarded' is directly compositional from 'waste' (discarded material) + 'paper' (sheets for writing/printing), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. This noun-noun compound follows a common and cross-linguistically regular pattern in English, making its meaning transparent.
Etymology
The noun waste paper comes from the simple idea of waste, meaning things thrown away, and paper. It was used for sheets, notes, and scraps meant to be thrown out or burned, so today it means 'paper that is no longer needed'.