Spread Christmas cheer sustainably: 3 ways to recycle festive items

Decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts and sending out greeting cards are some of the most cherished Christmas traditions, but after the festivities, how do you dispose of the excess?

Gabriella Peace, marketing communications manager at UK Greetings, offers her take on how you can give Christmas items a second life by recycling or reusing them…

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1.    Wrapping paper: reuse, recycle & repurpose

What’s a gift without wrapping paper? It builds up excitement for the present within, and the great news is: most wrapping paper is recyclable, so you can enjoy beautifully wrapped goods and be sustainable!

First and foremost, you can reuse paper from last year’s gifts as long as it’s in good condition. You can also shred it into tiny pieces and use it as protective packaging around gifts. Alternatively, boost your cleaning inventory by repurposing your wrapping paper as a cleaning cloth for windows and mirrors.

It’s important that wrapping paper passes the ‘recycling test’ if you’re taking it to a recycling depot. To find out if it’s suitable for recycling, make sure the paper stays in a ball shape when you scrunch it. Shiny, metallic and glittery wrapping paper is usually not suitable for that. Also, make sure that all tape, ribbons and other decorative elements are removed.

2.    Christmas cards: transform into gift tags, decorations & more

Christmas cards are at the heart of the festive holiday. It’s estimated that each person in the UK sends and receives 17 Christmas cards each year, with a whopping 150 million cards delivered by the Royal Mail during the Christmas period.

Festive greeting cards are special, so it’s great to repurpose them. This is a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy. Make gift tags for next year’s presents by cutting your old cards into triangles or rectangles.

You can also make cards into Christmas tree decorations, gift boxes, badges and decorative matchboxes. Cut them into tall thin strips and you’ll have festive bookmarks, or consider heartfelt DIY Christmas gifts that both your loved ones and the planet will be grateful for.

3.    Christmas trees: use for DIY crafts or donate

The Christmas tree – the centrepiece of the festivities – guards the presents and brings about Christmas spirit. Sadly, when January comes around, we’re prompted to let go of our festive decorations. But the Christmas tree doesn’t have to go to waste. There are a number of ways that you can breathe life into your used Christmas tree, whether it’s real or fake.

A typical real Christmas tree takes between 10 and 12 years to grow, so why not replant it in your garden and capture the jolly spirit forever? If you don’t have enough space in your garden, you can give it to a local organisation that replants trees or donate it to a local zoo.

Council-run tips often offer the opportunity to recycle Christmas trees into ground cover for public parks. Or if you’re in the mood for DIY, use the needles of the tree to make pine-scented potpourri, compost and stuffing for cushions.

Fake Christmas trees can be reused as many times as you want. But if you want a fresh tree, you can donate your old one to a charity, school or care home.

Christmas is a time to spread love and kindness: not only to your loved ones, but to the whole world. This year, why not gift the environment a little love by recycling your festive staples?