Whilst the festive season brings joy to many – the extra food, packaging and gifts often also create a lot of extra waste.
To help Brits have a sustainable Christmas, Paul McFadyen, metal expert and Chairman at metals4U has shared advice around what can and can’t be recycled.
Paul says: “Local authorities often dictate what you can recycle at home, but as a rule of thumb; paper, cards and some metals such as aluminium and steel cans can all be recycled.
“Glass can be recycled in many locations, although some councils ask for it in separate bins, whilst others require it to be taken to bottle banks.”
It is important to check whether what you’re throwing away can actually be recycled. Here are metals4U’s top tips on what you can and can’t recycle over the festive period.
What can I recycle?
These are the items that you can generally recycle after Christmas.
Christmas dinner tin foil
The tinfoil you use to roast your turkey, keep your potatoes warm and cover your leftovers is made from aluminium, a widely recyclable item, that many people usually throw in their general waste. With sustainability in mind, you can even wash your tinfoil with warm soapy water and use it again.
Fairy lights
If you have any broken or unwanted fairy lights, then they should not go into your general waste. They usually contain aluminium metal wiring and should be taken to a recycling centre as they are classed as electrical equipment.
Cardboard boxes
Cardboard boxes, after you’ve removed the tape and anything else left in them, can be recycled.
Christmas trees
Real Christmas trees can be turned into wood chippings, with local councils usually advertising pick-up dates in early January. Check your council website to see if this is something they offer.
Wreaths
As long as they don’t have glitter or glue on them and aren’t plastic, Christmas wreaths can go into your garden waste bin after the festive period.
Plain wrapping paper
Brits reportedly use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper every Christmas1, so it’s reassuring to know that some can be recycled. Glossy and plain wrapping paper can be recycled if it passes the scrunch test; the UK recycling program, Recycle Now, suggests that one way to check whether your wrapping paper can be recycled is by scrunching it up. If it stays scrunched up in a ball, then it’s generally good to recycle. If not, then it isn’t recyclable. Don’t forget to remove any sticky tape and non-recyclable tags and bows first.
Paul McFadyen, Chairman at metals4U comments: “Environmental conversations will continue to be a focus over the coming years, but during the festive period we should all play our part in reducing our carbon footprint, no matter how big or small, we can all contribute.
“We hope our top tips will help people better understand what they can and can’t recycle this season and work together to make Christmas more sustainable with these small changes.”
What can’t I recycle?
These are the items you may need to dispose of after Christmas, but which cannot be recycled.
Metallic, foil, and heavily laminated wrapping paper
Christmas wrapping paper often cannot be recycled as it is often laminated with plastic, foil or other non-recyclable materials. It is also likely to have sticky tape on it, which is non-recyclable. In previous years, councils2 have banned wrapping paper in any household recycling bin as it is more often than not recyclable and they could end up contaminating the rest of the recycling bin.
Glittery Christmas cards
Anything with glitter on it cannot be recycled and should go in the general waste bin. A lot of Christmas cards and tags will feature glitter, so it’s worth checking this to decipher which bin they should go in. Many supermarkets offer a free Christmas card recycling facility after the festive season, so it is worth keeping a look-out for facilities in your local area.
Tinsel and broken baubles
Both tinsel and broken baubles cannot be recycled and should be put in your general waste bin.
For more recycling advice, visit: https://www.metals4u.co.uk/blog/category/advice
