Every year so much Christmas wrapping paper goes to waste – and it isn’t always completely obvious which rolls in the shop are recyclable – here is how you can tell
Every single year, the Christmas season sees so much wrapping paper thrown away in its droves. Shockingly, the amount could be wrapped around the entire globe a whopping eight times. Despite the joy we get from giving and receiving gifts, this amount of waste is pretty terrifying – and the best way to approach disposing of your used wrapping paper can be confusing, especially when it isn’t always clear if it can be recycled.
There is no feeling like spending ages selecting the perfect Christmas gift for your family and friends, only for them to unwrap the gift and be visibly thrilled with it. It’s definitely one of the best parts of the festive season, but the mound of wrapping paper we are often left with is seriously less than ideal – not just for us, but also for those at the other end of the recycling chain, with one executive calling it a “nightmare” to the BBC.
This is simply because “Not all wrapping paper is paper,” explains Simon Ellin – chief executive of the Recycling Association – because much of it contains plastic. So when it turns up at the paper mills, the professionals can’t recycle it all. If you are keen to try and avoid chucking this all in the bin, then there are some signs you need to look out for to ensure the wrapping paper you purchase can definitely be recycled.
When you’re disposing of your wrapping paper this year try out this simple test to see if it might be recyclable. Scrunch a piece up tightly into a ball shape – if it stays this way, it’s likely to be pure paper, and it can be recycled once it gets to the paper mills. However, if it immediately loses shape, then there is probably some plastic content that means the professionals won’t be able to work with this material.
Equally, you can help yourself out at the point of purchase by selecting a roll of recycled wrapping paper – this will almost certainly be able to be recycled again, as it will be paper without plastic content. Once you are sure that your used wrapping paper can definitely go in the recycling bin, you will also need to double-check that your local authority will collect it – some won’t pick it up in the regular collection and instead need you to drop it off at a collection point.
Another way to be more eco-friendly when it comes to your wrapping paper is to look for rolls that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in the shops, this means that it’s likely to have been produced in a more sustainable way, because the FSC works hard to protect our forests.
Do you have a story to tell? Email: emma.mackenzie@reachplc.com
