Wrapping Paper and Other Holiday Recycling

It’s holiday season and that time of the year when there is a lot of extra stuff going around, which means more packaging, wrapping paper, etc. A lot of it, but not all, can be recycled and should not be thrown in the trash.

It’s tempting to put all of the wrapping paper in the recycling but turns out it’s not that simple. Standing in the way of a second life for wrapping paper are foil, metallic finishes, glitter, texture, and any plastic coatings — basically anything that’s not plane ink on paper. Ribbons and bows that don’t get removed are other problems. If the paper does not have any of these and says “100% Recyclable” at the back then by all means recycle it.

The North Reading Recycling Committee suggests a few alternatives:
· Save the wrapping paper for reuse.
· Use plain brown craft paper, which is recyclable.
· Use gift bags or boxes. They are easy to use and reuse.
· Use cloth or other fabric. These are also reusable.

While wrapping paper is tricky to recycle, lots of other paper is easily recycled: such as end-of-year solicitations, catalogs, magazines and newspapers, cereal boxes and other paperboard. Holiday cards can also go in your recycling as long as they don’t have metallic inks, foil, wire, or glitter — again nothing more than plane ink on paper.

One other seasonal no-no is wrapping tissue paper. It’s very low-grade paper that cannot be recycled; save it for for a second use or toss it.

The cardboard from all shipping boxes is among the most desirable materials in the recycling world at the moment. Just empty the boxes to get rid of packing materials, plastic bags, and other non-recyclables, then flatten and place in your recycling bin.

Glass bottles and jars, food and beverage cans, and plastic bottles, jars, jugs, and tubs are all recyclable. Just empty and rinse it well enough (no need to be thorough) before recycling. Lids and caps are fine.

Let us make this holiday season a little more special by sparing a thought for recycling and reuse opportunities!

For questions and answers, check out our Facebook page @NorthReadingRecycling or email us at NorthReadingRecycling@gmail.com