What You Can And Can't Recycle This Christmas

Find out what you can and can’t recycle this Christmas, and help divert waste from landfill.

Avoiding Waste From the Start

Reducing how much waste we create is the first step to a less wasteful Christmas. Here are some easy, but big impact ways to cut the Christmas waste:

Buy gifts with minimal packaging. Where possible, go for compostable, reusable or recyclable packaging rather than plastic or mixed packaging destined for landfill.
Wrap your gifts with eco-friendly wrapping. Experiment with fabric or another reusable material, use last year’s wrapping paper or go for compostable options.
Make or forage your own natural decorations. Avoid single use and plastic decorations that are destined for the bin.
Skip the single-use plates, cups and cutlery. Bring your own reusable set if you’re attending a party, or opt for reusable or compostable alternatives if you are hosting.
Compost your food scraps. If you don’t already have a compost system set up, now is a great time. A bench top Bokashi system is a great beginner-friendly option.

Can You Recycle Wrapping Paper?

So long as they are not covered in other materials like plastic, wrapping paper and gift cards that are made from paper can go in your yellow-top curbside bin. Watch out for glitter, tinsel, sequins, ribbon, cellophane and foil - none of these materials can go in the curbside recycling bin!

Not sure if it’s paper or plastic? Fold the wrapping paper and try to rip it. If it rips, it’s likely paper. If it doesn’t, it’s likely soft plastic.

Fold paper and cardboard flat (do not scrunch)
Put into your bin loose (do not bag it up)
Remove plastic sticky tape and place in landfill bin

Wrap with Compostable Materials

As you can imagine, plain paper wrapping paper is becoming less and less common these days. Your best option is to look for alternatives to commercial wrapping paper all together.

All the wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbon and gift cards that we sell are made from compostable materials and vegetable inks that can be safely composted at home.

Save and Reuse Wrapping Paper Next Year

A great thing to do regardless of whether wrapping paper is recyclable or not is to save it for reuse. Simply encourage your family to open presents carefully so that the wrapping paper can be neatly folded and stored for next year... it comes in handy and feels great knowing you're saving money and giving it a second life!

Gorgeous plastic-free, compostable wrapping paper from Earth Greetings that can be reused and composted.

Can I Recycle Packaging from Gifts?

Paper, cardboard, glass and some hard plastic packaging can be placed in your kerbside recycling bin. Small plastic items may be accepted in your recycling bin but can slip through the cracks at the recycling plant, so put them in a larger plastic bottle first. Soft plastics, materials with plastic films, bubble wrap, textiles and cellophane cannot go in your recycling bin.

Check with your local council guidelines and if in doubt, leave it out.

Buy Gifts with Low-Waste Packaging

Packaging contributes a huge amount of waste during the holiday season. The best way to reduce packaging waste is to buy gifts with no packaging, or packaging that can be easily composted, reused or recycled.

Can I Recycle Christmas Decorations?

Conventional Christmas decorations like tinsel, baubles, stockings and plastic decor cannot be recycled and must be placed in the landfill bin. If they are in good condition, drop them off to a second hand store or give them away on Buy Nothing groups.

Items made from paper or cardboard can only be recycled if they do not have glitter, plastic sheens, foil or other plastic elements attached.

Christmas lights are considered hazardous waste and must not be put in your kerbside bin. Take them to a local Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Point where you can dispose of them free of charge.

Check theRecycling Near You website for other items.

Embrace Eco Christmas Decorations

Opt for Christmas decorations which can be composted at the end of their life or reused year after year.

Go for a living Christmas tree and set your table with beeswax candles. Forage for leaves, nuts and other natural treasures to decorate with. Invest in some fabric bunting or get crafty making paper chains and origami stars.

Check out our natural, zero waste Christmas decorations for more inspiration.

Opt for plastic-free decorations that can be composted at the end of their usable life, like these Hemp Christmas Angels.

What Can I Do With Food Waste This Holiday Season?

Cooking for the whole family is not only a big effort but can also produce a lot of food waste. There are lots of nifty recipes for using up leftovers, and don’t forget that lots of foods can be frozen if you’re not able to consume them within a few days.

Making sure your scraps and old leftovers get composted properly is one of the best positive climate change actions you can take at home. Whether you have a back yard or live in an apartment, there’s a composting system for everyone.

Our top recommendation for first-time composters is the Bokashi system - an easy, small, kitchen-top compost system. To get started, check out our free, online composting resources.
If you're not up to composting yourself right now, jump ontoPeels.app – a platform that can connect you to someone in your neighbourhood who is willing to take your scraps and compost them for you.

Bokashi One, an awesome benchtop solution for dealing with food scraps - including meat and carbohydrates!

Turn Your Drinks Into Money!

If you're in a state that is participating in the Container Deposit Scheme (which WA is - yay!), make sure you save those cans and bottles from Christmas parties and cash them in for the 10c refunds.

Only cans/bottles that have the '10c refund' label on it are eligible. All other glass, metal and plastic bottles can go in your usual yellow-top curbside recycling bin.

Can You Recycle Textiles and Clothing?

If you get new clothes or other textiles this Christmas and are wondering what to do with your old items, check out our guide onhow to thoughtfully recycle or upcycle old textiles that aren't in good enough condition to pass on.

What to do with Old Electronics?

E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in Australia and it's critically important that we keep electronics out of landfill. PlanetArk is a wonderful resource for finding ways to recycle these items – head to theirRecycling Near You website for more information.

Any Other Materials You're Unsure About

Use PlanetArk'sRecycling Near You website to find your local recyclers for just about any material that can be recycled in Australia.

Check out our list of otherrecycling resources.

What You Can And Can't Recycle This Christmas

What You Can And Can't Recycle This Christmas

Avoiding Waste From the Start