WHAT THE RECYCLING GUIDANCE SAYS

Scrunch it,
then decide the bin.

Not all wrapping paper is really paper.

Shiny, foiled and glittery wraps are often plastic film or carry decorations mills cannot use. UK recycling guidance offers a ten-second test, and Japan offers a cloth that can wrap a present again and again.

SCRUNCH stays put? recycle

Check your wrapping

A present wrapped in a square of patterned cloth, tied on top with a neat knot, on a wooden table beside a sprig of greenery — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Scrunch before you sort
Tape and bows come off
Cloth wraps again
A gift that does not end in the bin

THE SHORT ANSWER

Plain paper maybe,
shiny wrap no.

Recycle Now, led by WRAP,
sets out what UK bins can take.

THE TEST

Scrunch it in your hand

If the paper stays in a ball, it can go in the recycling where your council accepts it. If it springs back, it is most likely metallised plastic film.

Check your wrapping

THE EXTRAS

Strip off tape and bows

Sticky tape is not recyclable and belongs in the general waste. Ribbons, bows, foil and glitter cannot be recycled with the paper either.

Four steps

THE ALTERNATIVE

Wrap it in cloth

Japan's furoshiki, a square wrapping cloth, has been used for more than 1,200 years and can wrap almost anything again and again.

About furoshiki

A QUICK BIN CHECK

Can this go
in the recycling?

Pick something from the pile after the presents are open. The bar shows how likely it is to be recyclable at home, according to Recycle Now.

Bin check

Choose an itemPlain paper that scrunchesPaper greeting cardsShiny or foil wrapGlitter-covered paperSticky tape

Plain paper that scrunchesOften yes

Simple paper wrap that passes the scrunch test is recyclable where your council accepts wrapping paper. Remove the tape first.

Paper greeting cardsYes, minus extras

Paper cards and envelopes can be recycled. Tear off ribbons and glitter, and take batteries out of musical cards to recycle separately.

Shiny or foil wrapNo

Foil and metallic wraps cannot be recycled. Paper that springs back after scrunching is most likely metallised plastic film.

Glitter-covered paperNo

Glitter and other non-paper additives cannot be recycled, so glitter-decorated wrapping paper goes in the general waste.

Sticky tapeGeneral waste

Tape is not recyclable and makes paper hard to recycle. Pull loose strands off wrapping paper and boxes before they go in the recycling.

Source: Recycle Now (WRAP), item guides for wrapping paper, sticky tape and greeting cards.

Councils differ: some accept plain wrapping paper and some do not, because not every recycled paper mill takes it. Check your own council.

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

A lot of card,
a very old cloth.

One figure on Christmas packaging,
one on how long cloth wrapping has lasted.

≈ 300,000 tonnes

Card packaging used at a UK Christmas

WRAP estimated the UK uses almost 300,000 tonnes of card packaging at Christmas, and said all UK councils accept paper and 98% accept card.

CHRISTMAS CARD · WRAP 2015

1,200+ years

Age of the earliest wrapping cloths

The first furoshiki were used in Japan's Nara Period, more than 1,200 years ago, to wrap the valuables of emperors and noblemen.

FUROSHIKI · TOKYO GOVERNMENT

WRAP launched the scrunch test advice in a 2015 Recycle Now campaign, noting that shiny and metallic wrapping papers were not recyclable.

FOUR STEPS AFTER THE PRESENTS

Sort the pile
in two minutes.

A quick routine for the heap of wrapping on the floor, based on Recycle Now's advice.

Scrunch each sheet
Stays in a ball: a candidate for recycling. Springs back: it is likely plastic film and goes in the general waste.
Peel off tape, ribbons and bows
None of these can be recycled with the paper. Keep good ribbons and bows to use again.
Check what your council takes
Some councils accept plain wrapping paper and some do not, because thin, dyed or laminated paper has few good fibres.
Try a cloth next time
A furoshiki or any square of fabric can be folded and knotted around a gift, then handed on or reused.

Hands peeling a strip of clear sticky tape off brown paper wrapping, with a loose ribbon and bow set aside on the table — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Two hands scrunching a sheet of plain brown wrapping paper into a tight ball over a table — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

FUROSHIKI

One square,
many wraps.

A furoshiki is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. Early on it served as a bath mat and a bundle for clothes, and merchants used it to carry their wares. Its use declined after the Second World War as plastic bags took over.

In March 2006 Japan's then Minister of the Environment launched the Mottainai Furoshiki campaign, roughly 'use a furoshiki to avoid waste'. Named wraps include the basic carry wrap, a flat object wrap, a hidden knot wrap and a flower wrap.

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

Gift wrap and furoshiki questions

Can wrapping paper be recycled?

Sometimes. Recycle Now says simple paper wrap that passes the scrunch test can be recycled where your council accepts it. Some councils do not, because some recycled paper mills will not take it.

What is the scrunch test?

Scrunch the paper in your hand. If it stays in a ball it can go in the recycling, according to WRAP; if it springs back it is most likely metallised plastic film and not recyclable.

Why can't shiny wrapping paper be recycled?

Much wrapping paper is dyed, laminated or carries gold and silver shapes, glitter or plastics that cannot be recycled, and some is so thin it has few good-quality fibres.

Do I need to remove sticky tape?

Yes. Recycle Now says sticky tape is not recyclable and should go in the general waste, and to remove loose strands from wrapping paper and boxes before recycling them.

What is furoshiki?

A traditional Japanese square wrapping cloth, first used more than 1,200 years ago. It can wrap almost anything with the right folds and be used again, and Japan promoted it in a 2006 campaign against waste.

Why does gift wrapping matter so much in Japan?

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's furoshiki feature says wrapping even small things neatly and attractively is still part of Japanese culture: carefully wrapping a gift implies respect for the recipient, and handing over something unwrapped is considered impolite. A furoshiki lets you do that without paper.

What does mottainai mean?

Roughly, that it is a shame for something to go to waste without making full use of its potential. Launching the Mottainai Furoshiki campaign in March 2006, Japan's then Minister of the Environment unveiled a furoshiki made from a fibre manufactured from recycled PET plastic bottles, with a birds-and-flowers motif drawn by the Edo-period painter Ito Jakuchu.

Scrunch it,
then decide the bin.