What wrapping paper can be recycled and what can’t? (info courtesy of SCC 20.12.25)
Posted by Highfield Residents' Association on Dec 21, 2025 in News | 0 comments“Not all wrapping paper can be recycled… but some can!
When the big unwrapping chaos hits this Christmas, here’s the easy rule for Southampton:
Plain brown paper (no glitter, no foil) → YES, recycle it!Just remove tape, ribbons and bows first.
Everything else – shiny, metallic, glittery, laminated, super patterned → Nope, that goes in your general waste bin.It’s not us being Grinchy, it’s just that lots of wrapping paper is made with non-paper materials that can’t be recycled.
Keeping the wrong stuff out of the blue-lidded recycling bin helps our crews and keeps the whole city’s recycling cleaner.
Small swaps, big difference.” 
