Wrapping paper

You can print designs on brown paper, add bows and foliage. I often use brown paper and "luggage" tags. Looks smart and neat and environmentally friendly.

I often use brown with lots of ribbon. I think it looks very smart!

I didn't realise wrapping paper wasn't recyclable. Why on earth don't they come up with some that is? Surely it can't be that difficult?

It’s not recyclable?! Ooo errr, I always have put it in my recycling bin! Feeling very guilty now, I didn’t know!

We’re using brown paper this year dress it up nicely it will look lovely.

I always use brown paper. But use a different coloured ribbon or string for each person. The piles of presents always look lovely

I have some festive rubber stamps (card maker here), and I stamp all over the "wrong" side of brown paper, in red or green before starting to wrap the gift, so that the design is even. I bought some green garden string and used that, with bits of holly; pressed leaves or other small foliage, tied to the parcel. All of it is cheap and 100%environmentally friendly.

I like undoing packages slowly and I recycle a lot of wrapping paper. The rest I twist into tight bundles and use to start the fire in the wood burner.

I never knew greeting paper wasn’t recyclable why not ?

I think that "ordinary" wrapping paper IS recyclable, but the foil type isn't.

(Could be wrong!)

Brown paper is very smart with contrasting ribbons, string, bows etc. I didn't realise gift wrap wasn't recyclable either - been putting it in my green bin for years !

Me too Patsy I can understnd the metallic one but ordinary wrapping paper ?? No ones told me it shouldn’t be going in the recycling bin

This recycling business is very confusing!

This is a guide to what can and can't be recycled.

www.recyclenow.com/what-to-do-with/wrapping-paper-1

Our council says no metallic or glittery/sparkly paper can be recycled, ordinary printed paper can. Guess areas vary

Mine says that too Cornergran and that I can understand

I was under the same impression, phoenix!

To quote from the link - thanks SueDonim :

Wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated and/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver coloured shapes, glitter, plastics etc which cannot be recycled
Some wrapping paper is very thin and contains few good quality fibres for recycling
A lot of wrapping paper has sticky tape attached to it which makes it very difficult to recycle.

OK, you've convinced me to give it a try. Going to order some from a well known auction site. I did buy some kraft type ribbon from Tigger or whatever it is called. So we will see!!

I use white tissue paper - it's useful for lots of things, and I tie with 'real' ribbon which I re-use.

Brown paper parcels can be made to look very fancy. Last year I used sheets of snowflake stickers from Lidl, but probably made the wrapping non-recyclable . I have started card making recently so this year I shall use stamping, real foliage or die cuts. Lots of good ideas on Google search.
www.google.co.uk/search?q=brown+paper+gift+wrapping&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGn5af0szeAhUoD8AKHe_5C7sQsAR6BAgAEAE&biw=1340&bih=633

I buy packs of 2 red pillowcases (£2 from ASDA ) Good for larger presents or as a Santa sack for several unwrapped small ones. Tied with real ribbon and with a large label cut from last year's Cards, they are totally recycleable. I also use Christmas themed carrier bags from Supermarkets and stores and, for tiny presents, print out designs via the computer on ordinary printer paper - all recycleable.

If you add a lot of paint or glitter etc to brown paper it becomes unrecyclable.

You can buy paper tape that can go in with the recycling instead of selotape.

Brown paper is very festive, looks so victorian.

I sometimes bypass wrapping paper completely by making part of the present the wrapping (a scarf/tea towel/re-usable bag etc)

Wikos usually has some nice festive print reusable shopping bags in various sizes that make a good replacement for disposable (and un-recyclable) gift bags. Sainsbury's has some smart looking ones too that look like gift bags