A refuse collector has issued a warning about Christmas wrapping paper, cards and gift bags, urging people not to assume they can be recycled. Danny, a waste worker from St Helens Borough Council, explained on the council's TikTok page that most festive wrapping contains foil, plastic, glitter or glue, making it non-recyclable in the borough.
“Wrapping paper, gift bags and Christmas cards CANNOT go in your green or blue recycling bags here in St Helens borough,” Danny said. He advised that only plain brown paper is suitable for recycling, and urged residents to check with their local council as rules vary.
Recycling experts from Kingfisher Direct recommend the “scrunch test” to check recyclability: scrunch the paper in your hand; if it stays scrunched, it is likely recyclable; if it springs back, it contains non-recyclable materials. Ryanvir Kaila from Kingfisher Direct stressed that paper with glitter, foil or adhesive cannot be recycled regardless of the test result.
To reduce waste, Kaila suggested reusing wrapping paper that remains intact. “Re-using wrapping paper is a great hack as it not only saves you spending money on new wrapping paper, but it ensures that less wrapping paper is being disposed of in general waste,” he said.
