Guide To Recyclable Wrapping Paper In The UK This Christmas
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There’s no time like the present to get the festive season all wrapped up sustainably. Here are my top recyclable wrapping paper picks this Christmas, so you can dream of a green Christmas.
There’s nothing quite like the sight of a little pile of prettily wrapped presents nestled under your Christmas tree, ready to be handed out to loved ones.
However, not all wrapping paper is created equally. Whilst paper itself is widely recyclable, many brands make glittery or foil-embossed gift wrap that isn’t recyclable.
And other types of paper may not have the glitter or the foil, but may be sneakily laminated with plastic, which isn’t recyclable either. Once torn off the presents, these types of paper have to head straight to landfill.
Whilst wrapping paper feels like one very small part of our Christmas festivities, it all adds up. Apparently, in the UK alone, we use around 4 rolls of paper per household each Christmas. That works out to a staggering 108 million rolls of wrapping paper each Christmas. That’s a lot of paper that needlessly ends up in landfill.
Thankfully, brands big and small are waking up to the impacts of plastic pollution and waste. There are now heaps of choices when it comes to eco-friendly wrapping paper that is easily recyclable. Here are my top recommendations this festive season – some of which are even made from recycled paper.
The Recyclable Wrapping Paper To Know This Christmas
To help you out, here are my top picks of the best recyclable wrapping paper this Christmas, so you can celebrate sustainably:
It’s All Eco
It’s All Eco makes and sells charming sheets of eco-friendly wrapping paper in a variety of festive designs.
Each sheet of gift wrap is completely recyclable and is printed on eco-friendly recycled kraft paper.
The green credentials don’t stop there. Each sheet is printed with eco-friendly water-based inks. Meanwhile, each pack is sent to you in plastic-free packaging.
Prices start from £0.99.
Clara & Macy
Clara & Macy (available at Not On The High St from £5.95) is another great choice for eco-friendly wrapping paper this Christmas.
This beautifully designed, thick gift wrap is fully recyclable. It’s also printed onto FSC-certified paper. This means the paper has been sourced from woodlands that are managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers.
Lomond Paper Co.
For seriously stylish recyclable wrapping paper, head straight to Lomond Paper Co. on Etsy this Christmas.
Available in a range of beautiful festive designs, this luxuriously thick paper is ideal if you want to wow your loved ones, without contributing to landfill.
The wrapping paper and tags are fully recyclable and designed and printed in the UK. What’s more, each sheet is printed on FSC-certified paper.
Prices start from £3 a sheet and tag.
Marks & Spencer
In a welcome move, all of Marks & Spencer’s Christmas wrapping paper is now both completely plastic-free and fully recyclable.
All of the store’s gift wrap is also sourced from well-managed FSC-certified forests.
What’s also to love is that rather than wrapping the gift wrap in plastic, the wrapping paper now includes an additional 15 cm of wrap. This protects the paper without the need for unnecessary plastic.
Prices range from £5.50 – £9 for sets.
Re-Wrapped
Anyone who says eco-friendly gift wrap is drab clearly hasn’t come across Re-Wrapped. This British brand specialises in bright and colourful wrapping paper for every occasion.
Made solely from 100% recycled unbleached paper and vegetable inks, this wrapping paper is fully recyclable and made and printed in the UK.
Its Christmas range is vast. Whatever colour or design you have in mind, you can probably find it at Re-Wrapped.
The one downside is that it’s currently only available on Amazon.
Sustainable Sticky Tape Tips
For one last top tip – if you want to banish plastic sticky tape when you are wrapping your gifts, this year, try paper tape. This type of tape is plastic-free. And it doesn’t just come in brown – it comes in a host of festive designs and colours to jazz up your parcels sustainably.
The only thing to bear in mind is that, like plastic tape, it’s generally not recyclable. However, it is easily removable before you recycle the paper.
How To Tell If Christmas Wrapping Paper Is Recyclable
By buying recyclable paper, you can be sure that your wrapping paper can be placed in your recycling bin. However, come Christmas morning ,you may have unwrapped gifts from others, and you may be uncertain if the gift wrap used is recyclable or not.
Thankfully, it’s quite easy to distinguish recyclable wrapping paper from wrapping paper that is not.
Firstly, if the paper is decorated with glitter or embossed with foil, then it generally contains plastic. As such, this should go into your general waste bin.
For other types of paper, it can be less clear if they contain plastic. For these types of paper, you need to do the scrunch test.
To do the scrunch test, simply scrunch up a ball of paper in your hand. When you open up your hand, recyclable wrapping paper will stay scrunched in a ball. This can go in your recycling bin, once you’ve removed any tags or ribbons.
Meanwhile, plastic-based wrapping paper does not stay in a ball. It opens out. This means this should go in your general waste bin.
More Sustainable Christmas Tips
And that’s a wrap! If you are looking for more sustainable gift wrap ideas, then do check out my guide to eco-friendly gift wrapping. From reusing and repurposing to using reusable materials, there are heaps of environmentally friendly ideas to wrap your gifts.
You can also check out my big guide to having an eco-friendly Christmas. It has heaps of ideas to green the festive season. From sustainable Christmas trees and decorations, as well as gift ideas, and tackling festive food waste, there’s everything you need to know.
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Great read! It’s heartening to see a focus on eco-friendly choices, especially during the festive season. Sustainable wrapping paper is a small but impactful step towards a greener celebration. The recommendations are spot on, making it easier for us to make environmentally conscious choices. Let’s make this Christmas not just joyful but also eco-friendly!