The Best Recyclable Christmas Wrapping Paper
Christmas generates more wrapping paper waste than any other time of year, and a lot of what's sold as "recyclable" quietly isn't - foil finishes, glitter, and plastic laminate coatings all make paper impossible for most household recycling to process, whatever the label implies. Choosing properly recyclable wrap is a small decision that adds up considerably across a whole household's worth of presents.
Here's what to actually look for, and where to find it.
What Makes Wrapping Paper Genuinely Recyclable
No foil or metallic finishes. Foil-printed paper - however beautiful - generally can't go through standard paper recycling, since the metallic layer can't be separated from the paper fibre.
No glitter. The same problem applies to glitter: it contaminates the recycling stream and most facilities can't filter it out.
No plastic coating or lamination. Some wrapping paper has a thin plastic layer for a glossy finish, which makes it behave like plastic film rather than paper once it's in the recycling process.
A simple scrunch test. If you scrunch a piece of paper into a ball and it stays scrunched, it's generally recyclable. If it springs back open, it likely has a plastic or foil element that will cause problems.
Our Recyclable and Recycled Christmas Range
Candy Cane Stripe is part of our Eco Christmas collection and is printed on genuinely recycled paper - made up of 80% de-inked recycled waste and 20% chlorine-free pulp, rather than simply being recyclable after use.
Vintage Polka, Vintage Tree, Fir & Ribbons, and Green Gingham are all sustainably sourced and fully recyclable, printed without foil or glitter, on 100-110gsm paper.
Across the whole range, everything is plastic-free - no cellophane, no plastic coating, nothing standing between the paper and the recycling bin once Christmas is over.
Browse the full Christmas gift wrap collection.
A Few Ways to Reduce Waste Further
Use ribbon instead of tape wherever you can. A well-tied bow holds without needing sticky tape, which is one less thing to remove before the paper can be recycled. See our guide on how to tie the perfect ribbon bow.
Save gift bags and tags for reuse. Bags in particular hold up well across several uses, unlike paper that gets torn open.
Flatten and fold rather than tear, where the gift allows it - torn paper is harder to recycle cleanly and more likely to end up too small and scattered to be collected properly.
The Most Important Thing
Recyclable wrapping paper only works if it's genuinely recyclable in the first place - checking for foil, glitter and plastic coating takes a moment, and it's the difference between wrapping paper that gets processed properly and wrapping paper that quietly ends up in general waste regardless of the bin it's put in.
Shop our Christmas gift wrap and ribbons - sustainably sourced, plastic-free, and genuinely recyclable. Free UK delivery on orders over £50.