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A lot have envelopes with plastic windows, so I put that part in the garbage, the parts that are just paper I put in the recycling.

Robin.

Though it doesn't hurt to remove the plastic piece, most paper recycling facilities don't have a problem recycling these. During the pulping process, the pieces that don't belong like staples, paperclips and these plastic windows are filtered out.

Source: American Forest & Paper Association.

I’ve seen a lot of people’s mail on the sidewalk/street. I’m compelled to find these people and ask, what happened?

Wow. TIL.

Recycle what you get and opt out so that you don't get more in the future:

https://www.catalogchoice.org (for general catalogs, coupons, etc...)

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/ (for financial offers like credit cards, loans, etc... - SSN not required if you're squeamish)

Sometimes. Most stuff put with “non recyclables” gets sent to an incinerator anyways which is better than landfill.