Recyclable Wrapping Paper: Which Kinds Can You Recycle?

Yes, many cities recycle plain wrapping paper, but not every kind. Paper with foil, metallic ink, glitter or a plastic coating goes in the trash, and so do ribbons and bows. Some programs, such as Houston’s curbside service, take no wrapping paper at all, so your city’s list decides.

Which wrapping paper kinds are recyclable

Recyclable wrapping paper is plain paper: it tears like paper and has nothing shiny bonded to it. City programs agree on the extremes and differ in the middle.

The bottom row is the one that catches people out. Houston’s curbside list names wrapping paper as not accepted, alongside tissue and soiled paper, so even plain wrap goes in the trash there.

Why foil and glitter wrapping paper is rejected

Foil and glitter wrapping paper is rejected because the shiny layer cannot be pulled out of the paper fiber. DS Smith, a paper and packaging maker, explains that most glitter is a microplastic, often etched aluminum bonded to a plastic film, too small to separate from paper and cardboard.

DS Smith adds that glitter lowers the quality of recycled pulp and can get whole batches rejected and sent to landfill or incineration.

Tape, ribbons and bows on wrapping paper

Tape, ribbons and bows are treated differently. Portland says it is fine to leave tape and labels on cardboard boxes; for wrapping paper, pulling off large strips of tape keeps the paper closer to plain paper.

Ribbons and bows go in the trash or back in the gift box. Portland calls ribbon a “tangler,” because it wraps around the machines that sort recyclables, and Seattle keeps ribbons and bows out too. Both are easy to reuse, so a box for them saves buying more next year.

The scrunch test for wrapping paper

The scrunch test is a quick sorting check promoted by UK councils. Recycle for Greater Manchester puts it simply: if you scrunch the paper into a ball and it stays scrunched, you can recycle it. Worcestershire County Council adds that paper which springs back probably has plastic in it.

Treat the scrunch test as a tiebreaker for paper your program already accepts. It cannot override a city like Houston that rejects wrapping paper outright. Our guide to reusable gift wrap and recyclable paper compares more city lists and covers wrap you never throw away.

What “recyclable” and “recycled” labels mean

“Recyclable” and “recycled” on a wrapping paper roll are different claims, and the FTC Green Guides set rules for both.

Recyclable means the paper can be collected and processed by an established program. A seller may say “recyclable” without qualification only when programs for the item are available to a substantial majority, at least 60 percent, of the consumers or communities where it is sold. Below that, the claim should carry a qualifier such as “may not be recyclable in your area.”

Recycled content means the paper is made partly or fully from recovered material. An unqualified “recycled” claim should cover the whole item, minor parts aside. A partly recycled paper should state the share, by weight.

Neither label promises that your bin will take the paper. A recycled-content roll with a glitter finish is still glitter paper.

Wrapping choices that skip the question

The surest way around the recycling question is wrap that never reaches the bin. Fabric bags, cloth wraps and saved boxes come back every year. Our furoshiki gift wrapping guide covers cloth sizes and folds. If you prefer paper, plain kraft with no metallic print fits the plain-paper rule in programs like Seattle’s.

For trees, decorations and gifts as well as wrapping, start at the eco-friendly Christmas guide.