(WYTV)- The Christmas gifts are all unwrapped or maybe you still have a few on the way this week, so what do you do with all the wrapping paper?
Does it go straight into the trash? Can you recycle wrapping paper even if it has tape on it?
A lot of wrapping “paper” on the market isn’t actually paper at all.
The metallic, glittery stuff is at least partially plastic, so you cannot recycle it as paper. Even some wrapping paper that is pure paper isn’t worth recycling because being as thin as it is, it doesn’t contain enough fiber for the recycling process.
If you want to make sure your wrapping paper is recyclable, just put it through the scrunch test.
Crumple a piece of the wrapping paper. If it stays scrunched, it’s good to recycle. If it tends to spring back flat, it has to go in the trash. Treat gift bags as you would paper wrap, just take off the handles but bows, ribbons and tape should all stay out of the recycling bin. They’re trash.
Besides, you may be able to store and use bows and ribbons next year. But keep this in mind: don’t wishcycle.
Don’t assume something is recyclable so it’s worth a try. You’ll only upset the recycling company. If you’re not sure whether you can recycle a certain sheet of wrapping paper, just put it in the trash.