Can you recycle wrapping paper? What Black Country councils say on festive packaging

But with a pile of presents often comes a pile of mess with wrapping paper and other packaging strewn across floors. And once you add it all up, the numbers are huge.

In 2017 waste management company Biffa said 227,000 piles of wrapping paper is thrown away each December, and the amount used when preparing presents is enough to wrap around the equator nine times. 300,000 tonnes of card packaging is also used at Christmas, something Biffa described as enough to cover the Elizabeth Tower - containing Big Ben - almost 260,000 times.

So it's little wonder that people want to know what they can do with wrapping paper once it's no longer needed and if it can be recycled.

There are various types of wrapping paper: plain sheets; glittered and embellished paper; plastic or foiled paper. A good way to check if your wrapping paper is recyclable is to scrunch it up: if it stays scrunched it can, whereas sheets that spring back can't.

Any paper that can be recycled must also be stripped of sticky tape, bows, staples and anything else attached to it.

Cannock Chase

Cannock Chase Council does not recycle any wrapping paper from kerbside collections, plain or shiny. The authority says this is due to the dyes and other materials used in the manufacturing process. Therefore all paper must go into general waste or, if it can be recycled (plain paper), it can be bagged up and taken to recycling centres at Cannock or Rugeley.

Dudley

Dudley residents can recycle non-foil (plain) wrapping paper at home. Larger quantities though should be taken to recycling centres for disposal.

Lichfield

Wrapping paper without foil/glitter or other embellishments can go into household recycling. Other paper must go in general waste.

Sandwell

Like other councils, Sandwell can only recycle plain wrapping paper in weekly, kerbside collections. Shiny paper or paper that contains foil or metallic particles, cannot be recycled.

South Staffordshire

South Staffordshire Council says it is often dyed, laminated and/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver coloured shapes, glitter, foil, plastics and so on, which cannot be recycled, while a lot of wrapping paper has sticky tape attached to it which makes it very difficult to recycle.

For that reason, the authority has said its recycling provider, Biffa, does not accept wrapping paper, but can recycle plain paper including brown parcel paper.

The authority asks residents to dispose of wrapping paper in the general waste bin unless they are confident it is plain and all sticky tape, bows, ribbons and other decorations have been removed.

Walsall

Walsall Council says plain, uncoated wrapping paper can be recycled - either in bins at home or by taking it recycling centres.

Wrapping paper that's glittered, embellished, plastic or foiled must go in the general rubbish.

Wolverhampton

Residents are asked to not put shiny or glittery wrapping paper in their recycle bins. Paper that stays scrunched up can go in the recycling.

Other packaging

Local authorities suggest that people reuse wrapping paper with glitter or metallics as gift tags or decorations for future Christmases.

It's not just wrapping paper that can be recycled:

Aluminium foil and cooking trays (clean them and remove food residue first)

Cardboard (removing all tape, staples, wax and anything else attached to it)

Christmas cards (remove all glittered and embellished parts and batteries before recycling)

However, other packaging and Christmas accessories remains single-use and can't be recycled, including:

Bows and ribbons

Bubble wrap

Plastic packaging

Tinsel