Can You Recycle Wrapping Paper in the UK?
By: Rachael, redwigwam
It’s the week of Christmas, and after another difficult year, a lot of us are wanting to make a positive change and as little damage to the planet as possible.
One thing the majority of us will be doing this week, if you haven’t already is wrapping your loved ones Christmas presents! As exciting as it is, at redwigwam HQ we can’t help but dread the mess in our living rooms on Christmas Day.
So, how can we turn this mess into something a bit eco-friendlier? We’ve decided to look into our wrapping paper, and if you can recycle it this Christmas!
Let’s start with the stats, on average we use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper in the UK every year, with 83km2 going straight in the bin! This works out to about 4 rolls of wrapping paper per household…
Worse yet? It’s reported by the GWPGroup the amount of wrapping paper thrown away could reach the Moon – we mean, wow!
(For the full report click here)
So, let’s get to it.
Surprisingly, wrapping paper can be recycled in the UK, but it has to be a certain type.
Does your wrapping paper pass the scrunch test?
Recycle Now have posted a video on how you can check if your wrapping paper passes this test. If you scrunch your paper into a ball, and it stays in that position, it is more likely to be recyclable.
If your wrapping paper is very thin, and can tear easy, we’d avoid recycling it. The thicker the paper, the better chance it has of being recycled.
The plainer the better! Plain colours that are not shiny are of better quality and stand a good chance of being accepted! Wrapping paper that is shiny, or heavily dyed is most likely going to be rejected if you try to recycle it.
If you’re reading this and it looks like your wrapping paper can’t be recycled, don’t worry – keep a note of this for next year!
Tips when recycling your wrapping paper:
#1 - Remove any sticky tape, ribbons, or decorations you may have on your wrapping paper.
#2 - Split your wrapping paper up into plain paper and glittery/decorated paper. Put the glittery paper into the waste and get your plain paper ready to recycle.
#3 - Do the scrunch test for all your paper and remove any bits that don’t pass the test.
#4 - Check with your local council to see what they will accept.
We hope this blog has been informative, if you have any wrapping paper recycling hacks – let us know!
