What can be recycled at Christmas?
As a general rule, if it has masses of glitter or it is metallic, it probably isn’t recyclable. It’s a major issue as if you look around, you will probably see lots of paper like this. There are several ways that this problem can be solved. One way is to look carefully at what paper you and your family are buying and check the labels to see if it is recyclable. You could also carefully unwrap presents and try to use the paper again. Another way (my personal favourite) is to use fabrics instead! If you have a person in your family who is fantastic at sewing, then you could collaborate with them and sew parcels for each gift. Alternatively, you can wrap the present like you normally would and use ribbon instead of tape.
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Always wondered how wrapping paper should be disposed of? Isabel Sheppard discusses reducing, reusing and recycling at Christmas.
Christmas is great, but the waste it produces isn’t. Unwrapping presents is one of my favourite parts of Christmas – not knowing what’s inside and then realising what it is and being grateful to whoever gave it. I also love decorating gifts, however big or small, and making them festive. It wasn’t until one Christmas when I was clearing away the wrapping paper that I realised how much waste it produces. So how do you know what is recyclable and what isn’t? It’s not just the paper that causes problems! If you wrap a gift with a ribbon, try to use one that could be untied and used again. If you are wrapping a gift with tape, you could use masking tape or recyclable tape to help the environment.
I hope that this helps with the worries of waste and the problems with paper. Have a nice Christmas and keep recycling! Isabel Sheppard, Y9 |