Can you recycle wrapping paper, Christmas cards, crackers or trees?

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This year, in a bid to be more environmentally conscious, one in seven Brits will attempt to go carbon neutral by cutting out waste and by not using plastics or wrapping paper.

However, if you have already given or received wrapped presents or Christmas cards, you may be wondering what can – and can’t – be recycled.

The simple answer is most probably can’t be, as wrapping paper, Christmas cards and Christmas crackers can be dyed, laminated, have gold and silver decorations, glitter or plastic – none of which can be recycled.

Most Christmas presents also have sticky tape and more decorations with ribbon and bows, again which cannot be recycled, whilst low quality paper is very thin and contains poor fibres which are not good for recycling.

Wrapping paper

Before recycling plain paper wrapping, remove any sticky tape and decorations such as ribbons and shiny or coloured bows.

Wrapping paper can only be recycled if it passes the scrunch test – if it stays scrunched, it can be recycled, but if it ‘bounces back’, it contains plastic and cannot be recycled.

Simple paper wrap can be recycled but foil or glitter-decorated paper cannot and needs to go in the general waste.

Christmas cards

Like wrapping paper, you can only recycle greetings cards if they’re entirely made out of paper.

Some are made out of foil, have a plastic coating, or contain non-paper decorations like glitter, gold and silver coloured shapes, and other plastics. None of these can be recycled and microplastics such as glitter can’t be separated from the paper fibres during the recycling process.

Tear off any glittery parts or non-paper decorations and put them in your general waste bin.

Real and artificial Christmas trees

After Christmas you can recycle your real tree by putting it inside your brown bin. Remove the base and decorations and chop it down so it fits in your bin.  The trunk must be thinner than your wrist and the bin lid needs to close. Alternatively, you can take it to one of six recycling points located across the borough, or to one of the household waste and recycling centres. 

Real Christmas tree recycling points:

• Castleton Community Centre Car Park, Manchester Road, Castleton.
• Bentley Street, opposite Clarence Street, Rochdale - spare ground.
• Bank Top or Cherwell Avenue, Heywood - open space.
• ​Kirkway, just off Grimshaw Lane, Middleton.
• Norden Bus Terminus Play Area, Edenfield Road, Rochdale.
• Wildhouse Lane, Milnrow - lay-by area.

You can take artificial Christmas trees to your local recycling centre, which are open every day apart from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

These are located on Chichester Street, Rochdale and Spring Vale, Middleton.

Boxing Day recycling

The council will collect extra recycling waste only, extra bags of general waste will not be collected. Please ensure paper and cardboard are flattened and secured next to your bin and that mixed recycling (glass, plastic bottles and cans) are in a clear container next to the bin. Large items such as cardboard boxes should be folded down to make them as manageable as possible. 

Waste and recycling collection dates over the festive period are as follows:

• Bins due to be collected on Wednesday 25 December will be collected on Friday 27 December.
• Bins normally collected on Thursday 26 December will be collected on Saturday 28 December.
• Bins normally collected on Friday 27 December will be collected on Monday 30 December.

Bin collection days from Wednesday 1 January until Friday 3 January have moved to the following day so put your bin out a day later than usual.

There is no change to collections due to be made on Tuesday 31 December.

Normal waste collection services resume from Monday 7 January.