As festive celebrations unfold, families are being urged to check their Christmas wrapping paper before discarding it to ensure it doesn’t harm the environment. Not all wrapping paper is recyclable, and mixing non-recyclable paper with recyclables can contaminate entire batches, sending them to landfill instead.
During a recent BBC Morning Live segment, lifestyle presenter Jacqui Joseph highlighted a straightforward way to identify recyclable wrapping paper: the scrunch test. If you scrunch the wrapping paper into a ball and it stays scrunched, the paper is recyclable. However, if it springs back into shape, that indicates the paper contains plastic or similar coatings, making it unsuitable for recycling.
Most modern wrapping papers are recyclable, but those with plastic coatings, foiling, or glitter should be avoided in recycling bins. Glitter, a microplastic, is a major culprit in contaminating recycling streams and is notoriously difficult to separate once mixed in.
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The same recycling guidelines apply to gift bags. Plain paper or thin cardboard gift bags can typically be recycled once bows, ribbons, and other decorations are removed. Conversely, plastic-coated or heavily decorated bags need to be disposed of as general waste. To reduce waste, reusing non-recyclable gift bags is encouraged.
For Christmas cards featuring glitter or other non-paper additions, it’s best to remove those sections before recycling the remaining card. Opting for simple, patterned paper that passes the scrunch test is the most eco-friendly way to wrap gifts this season.
By following these easy steps, households can enjoy festive gift-giving traditions while minimizing their environmental impact.