Can Wrapping Paper be Recycled? There's A Simple Test To Find Out

With the festive season fast approaching, as a nation we’re set to make up for the disappointment of last year which will see even more gifts being exchanged than ever before.

Over 100 million rolls of wrapping paper are used every single Christmas in the UK alone, all of that paper has to go somewhere. But with it roughly equating to over 227,000 miles worth of paper from around 50,000 trees - it’s safe to say that if your Christmas wrap can be recycled, it should be.

But of course, this raises the question, how do you know if the wrapping paper you receive can be recycled? The good news is there’s a simple test:

The Scrunch Test

The quickest and easiest way of knowing if wrapping paper is recyclable is by doing the scrunch test. If you can scrunch wrapping paper into a ball and it stays scrunched, it can be recycled normally with your standard paper recycling provided there is no glitter on it. If the paper can’t be scrunched or springs back open, it can’t be recycled – this is because there’s plastic or foil content in with the paper.

Just remember: if you find your wrapping paper to be recyclable, remove any plastic tape, tags, bows, or ribbon attached to the paper as this will prevent the paper from being recycled.

Stick or Twist

If you’re making the effort with researching and buying recyclable wrapping paper, then don’t ruin it by putting plastic tape on it – particularly if the thought of separating plastic tape from wrapping paper on Christmas morning isn’t appealing to you, then ensure you use, and encourage friends and family to use, paper tape.

As the name suggests, paper tape is made from paper instead of plastic and can be recycled along with the paper or cardboard it’s stuck to – no separating needed!

The Upshot

Recyclable wrapping paper needs to be a non-negotiable for the season of giving and beyond, and paper tape needs to be too to ensure the hard-work doesn’t go to waste – literally.

Just remember – if it scrunches and stays then you’re good to go!

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Chloe Winsper | cjw@priorydirect.co.uk | Lauren Churcher | lrc@priorydirect.co.uk