With Christmas approaching, you’ve likely been thinking about the perfect gifts to buy for your loved ones…
Well, here in Wrexham, we have already set our New Year’s resolution to reduce our waste and increase our recycling rates to get us back up the recycling league.
It’s important to keep up all your hard work throughout the festive holidays by recycling and reusing as much as possible.
Buying recyclable wrapping paper
Did you know that on average 227,000 miles of wrapping paper is thrown away annually, which is enough to wrap around the Earth more than nine times! Sadly, not all this wrapping paper is recyclable.
So, you’re probably thinking how do I know if my wrapping paper can be recycled?
Well, here’s a brief overview…
Shiny foil and glitter wrapping is not recyclable and other shiny wrapping papers tend to be laminated, making them non-recyclable too. You should also try to stay away from any plastic add-ons. The scrunch test is a quick and easy way to check – scrunch the paper into a ball; if it stays scrunched, it’s likely recyclable (as long as it’s not foil or glittery) and can go in your paper recycling bin.
If you try to avoid these when doing your Christmas shop, then the good news is all other styles of wrapping paper should be fine to recycle…just make sure to remove any sticky tape beforehand!
Buying recyclable cards and gift bags
So how prepared are you this year with writing that long list of Christmas cards? Well, if you still haven’t bought them yet here’s some top tips to ensure you buy the best for the environment!
Most Christmas cards along with their envelopes can be recycled with your paper however it’s helpful to know which styles can’t be recycled and should be avoided. Similarly to wrapping paper, Christmas cards with glitter and bows are non-recyclable so please ensure when putting them in with your paper recycling that there are no bows or glitter attached.
Paper and card gift bags are always a great option when you need a bag as they are recyclable (once non-recyclable handles are removed). But have you thought – when buying all your festive bargains – you could do even better and use a reusable shopping bag instead? So whoever your gifts are going to can make the most out of not only their presents but what you gift them in too!
Also maybe think of alternative wrapping, such as using a tea towel which can be reused, or tissue paper.
Prepare yourself for this Christmas
Another way you can prepare yourself for Christmas is by signing up to receive our bin reminder emails. By doing this, you’ll receive an email reminding you to put your bins out the day before your collection is due. It’s a great way for us to let you know about any changes that may affect you as well.
When are my bins collected? Check your bin day and sign up for reminders.
Reminder – reduced garden waste collections in winter months – Wrexham Council News
