{"id":335919,"date":"2025-12-26T03:42:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T03:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/335919\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T03:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T03:42:10","slug":"simple-way-to-check-if-your-christmas-wrapping-paper-can-be-recycled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/335919\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple way to check if your Christmas wrapping paper can be recycled"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of us assume that because Christmas wrapping paper<\/a> is “paper”, it\u2019s just as recyclable – but the reality is a little more complex.<\/p>\n

Not all wrapping paper is good for recycling (and leaving sticky tape attached to it makes it un-recyclable), and not every council accepts wrapping paper in kerbside collections.<\/p>\n

Rachel Waktyn, OBE, founder of sustainable packaging maker Tiny Box Company tells Yahoo News: \u201cRecycling wrapping paper is an easy way to keep the holiday spirit bright and eco-friendly. The good news is that lots of wrapping paper can go straight into the recycling bin, especially simple, non-laminated paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, what is the best guidance?<\/p>\n

How can you tell if wrapping paper can be recycled?<\/p>\n

Any wrapping paper<\/a> that is just plain paper should be recyclable – though check on your local council website.<\/p>\n

The problem can come if the paper is plastic-coated, metallic or shiny, Watkins says.<\/p>\n

Watkyn says that it\u2019s fairly easy to tell if wrapping paper is recyclable. “Try the festive scrunch test: scrunch the paper into a ball, and if it stays crumpled, it\u2019s ready to be recycled,” she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember anything shiny, metallic, glittery or plastic-coated can\u2019t be recycled and needs to go into general waste. Don\u2019t forget to peel off any tape, bows or ribbons first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do all councils accept wrapping paper?<\/p>\n

Under current rules, not every council in Britain accepts wrapping paper, even plain wrapping paper.<\/p>\n

Some recyclers are not keen on the material as it is thin and contains additives. Warwick District Council, for instance, says households should put wrapping paper in general waste.<\/p>\n

The council writes: \u201cWrapping paper is often dyed, laminated and\/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver coloured shapes, glitter, plastics, which cannot be recycled.<\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/p>\n

Not all Christmas wrapping paper can be recycled (Getty)<\/p>\n

\u201cSome wrapping paper is very thin and contains few good quality fibres for recycling. A lot of wrapping paper has sticky tape attached to it which makes it very difficult to recycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best way to check is to look up your local council\u2019s recycling page where they will list what materials they recycle and whether they accept wrapping paper.<\/p>\n

What about cardboard packaging?<\/p>\n

Cardboard can be recycled in most areas, but it\u2019s crucial that it is kept dry.<\/p>\n

If cardboard is put outside in the rain, it cannot usually be recycled, says Josh Pitman, managing director of packaging firm Priory Direct.<\/p>\n

Read more: Where does your recycling actually go?<\/a><\/p>\n

Pitman says: \u201cWet cardboard generally cannot be recycled so it\u2019s vital that households keep the 300,000 tonnes of cardboard waste we generate every year over the festive period dry.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoisture significantly weakens cardboard fibres making it harder to mesh together after pulping to create new cardboard.<\/p>\n

“Wet cardboard also clogs machinery and increases the weight of recycling loads, which makes the process more costly. This in turn reduces the value for paper and cardboard recycling centres.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many of us assume that because Christmas wrapping paper is “paper”, it\u2019s just as recyclable – but the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335920,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1397,1666,130685,90,56,54,55,128678],"class_list":{"0":"post-335919","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-getty-images","10":"tag-plain-paper","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom","15":"tag-wrapping-paper"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}