Wrapping Paper Recycling

You can recycle certain types of wrapping paper. Any gift wrap made from 100% paper should be recyclable. However, those that contain glitter, foil, or a plastic coating are unlikely to be recyclable. Use the scrunch test to see if you can recycle the wrapping paper.

Simply scrunch up the wrapping paper into a ball and if it:

• Crumples up easily and stays in a ball – recyclable
• Resists scrunching and unfurls – not recyclable

Different types of gift wrap should be disposed of in different ways. Matte gift paper with no glitter, glossy covering, or plastic laminated parts can be disposed of in your household recycling bin (after removing tags and bows first). This should ensure it’s recycled.

You can’t recycle metallic wrapping as it typically doesn’t contain enough paper fibres to be useful in a paper mill. Plastic coated paper or laminated gift wrap cannot be recycled either as separating the materials is too difficult. Instead, this wrapping paper must be disposed of with your general waste.

Businesses can dispose of matte gift wrap with other waste paper or dry mixed recycling. Any plastic or metallic gift wrap should be thrown away with your commercial general waste. Businesses must use separate bins and arrange commercial waste collection of any paper, dry mixed recycling, and general waste by licensed waste carriers.

Recyclable wrapping paper will go to a recycling centre or paper mill where any contaminants are removed. It’s then recycled following this process:

• Waste wrapping paper is sorted into the relevant grade of paper and stored for processing.
• It’s then shredded and mixed with hot water to create a pulp.
• The pulp is then put on a conveyer belt to drip dry.
• Heated rollers squeeze and dry the pulp into a sheet.
• Finally, it’s cut to size and used to make new paper products.

If the wrapping paper isn’t recyclable, then it will go to landfill or incineration. In landfill it can take many years to break down, and chemicals from the plastic coating can leach into the ground – adding to pollution. It may be incinerated to produce energy, but this process still emits greenhouse gases.

Wrapping paper that passes the scrunch test can go in your household recycling bin at home, or in a paper recycling bin or dry mixed recycling bin in a business. Any wrapping paper that’s shiny, foil or plastic-coated that fails the scrunch test must be put in a general waste bin at home or in the workplace.

There are various types of wrapping paper made from a few different materials. The paper base for gift wrap comes from paper produced in wood mills, which is made from wood pulp from softwood trees. Other materials such as plastic and metallic films may be applied to create a decorative effect.

The general process to make wrapping paper is:

• First the wood pulp is bleached.
• The pulp is then squeezed through heavy rolls to expel the moisture.
• Next, it’s passed over heated rollers to continue the drying process.
• The dried product then has the design put onto it with inks.
• Glossier or metallic wrapping paper has a plastic film coated with aluminium placed on it, which contains Mylar.

The main problem with wrapping paper waste is that lots of it can’t be recycled. If the wrapping paper isn’t recyclable and is sent to landfill, this uses up landfill space and takes a long time to decompose. In the UK, we send five million tonnes of paper to landfill every year. This takes up animal habitats, contaminates soils, water, and adds to pollution levels.

Switching to recyclable wrapping paper is the best alternative. You can also prevent disposal issues by using traditional newspapers, maps, or brown paper to wrap up gifts. There are also brands creating fabric and reusable gift wrap. Another alternative is to use baskets to create hampers or recyclable gift bags rather than wrapping up presents.

There are several creative ways to make good use of non-recyclable wrapping paper rather than sending it to landfill or for incineration. Use it for art projects, such as scrapbooking and collages, cover notebooks, or use it to make confetti. If you’re careful when unwrapping presents and it’s still intact, you can even reuse it.

Wrapping paper that’s not sparkly, metallic, or has a plastic coating (that you can scrunch up easily) can be recycled in your domestic recycling bin. Or you can take it to your local household waste recycling centre (HWRC) to recycle with other waste paper. Non-recyclable paper can be put in your general waste bin at home or taken to the tip.

Any businesses disposing of wrapping paper need to arrange commercial waste collection by licensed waste carriers. This is essential to get rid of your waste in line with relevant regulations.

Some wrapping paper recycling facts are that:

• The average UK household goes through four rolls of wrapping paper per year.
• In the UK consumers use an estimated to 227,000 miles of wrapping paper – a similar distance from the earth to the moon.
• 1kg of wrapping paper is responsible for more than 3kg of CO2 emissions.
• 50,000 trees are cut down each year to make enough wrapping paper.

Take a look at some more paper waste facts.

The first evidence of gift wrap dates back to the second century BC in China. Back then monetary gifts were wrapped in a kind of envelope called chih pao. Centuries later in the early 20^th century Rollie and Joyce Hall – the founders of Hallmark Cards – created inventions to popularise the gift wrapping we see today.

Previously gifts were wrapped in newspaper, brown paper, or fabric. Hallmark started selling coloured tissue paper, which caught on and eventually morphed into the decorative printed wrapping paper we see today.