Christmas recycling guide

Updated 24 Oct 2026

Christmas fills the bins fast: wrapping paper, delivery boxes, bottles, leftovers and, in January, the tree. A lot of it can be recycled. Some of it looks recyclable and isn't, like foil wrapping paper and tinsel.

Councils don't all take the same things, so each item links to its own page. Choose your council there to see its exact rule.

Wrapping paper, cards and gift bags

Plain wrapping paper usually goes in your recycling. Try the scrunch test: screw it up in your hand, and if it stays scrunched it's paper. If it springs back open, it's probably foil or plastic-coated, and that goes in your general waste. So does any paper with glitter on it, because the glitter is plastic or metal stuck to the paper.

Pull off sticky tape, ribbons and bows first. They can't be recycled, but ribbon and bows are easy to reuse, and some schools and craft groups are glad of them.

Christmas cards and gift tags go in with your paper, and their envelopes can too, window or not. Tear off any part with glitter, foil or badges and recycle the plain rest. A musical card has a battery inside, so take that part to a battery collection point.

Paper gift bags are best reused. If you're done with one, take off the handles, ribbon and tags, and a plain paper bag can go in your paper recycling. Glittery, foil or shiny laminated bags go in your general waste.

Real Christmas trees

A real tree is garden waste. Many councils collect trees in January, either with garden waste bins or as a one-off collection, and most recycling centres take them. Take off every decoration and the stand first, and cut it up if your council asks you to.

Some local charities and hospices also collect trees in January for a donation. Pine needles can go in your garden waste or a compost heap.

  • Real Christmas treeEngland: Paid home collection; Scotland: Paid home collection; Wales: Paid home collection; Northern Ireland: Recycle at home
  • Pine needlesEngland: Paid home collection; Scotland: Paid home collection; Wales: Paid home collection; Northern Ireland: Recycle at home

Artificial trees and decorations

An artificial tree can't go in any recycling bin. If it's still in good shape, keep using it or give it to a charity shop. If not, it's a bulky item: take it to a recycling centre or book a bulky waste collection.

Tinsel, foil garlands and baubles can't be recycled at home either. Store them and they'll last for years.

Lights, batteries and electric presents

Fairy lights are electricals, so they never go in a bin, even when they've stopped working. The same goes for old gadgets replaced by new ones on Christmas morning. Shops that sell electricals take small ones back, and recycling centres accept them.

Batteries cause fires in bin lorries. Put used ones in a battery collection box; many shops that sell batteries have one.

Crackers

Once a cracker's pulled, most of it can be recycled. The plain card tube and the paper hat go in your paper and card recycling.

Take out the snap, the plastic toy and any other plastic: they go in your general waste, unless the toy is worth keeping. Foil, glitter or shiny cracker wrapping can't be recycled either, so give it the scrunch test.

Next year, look for plastic-free crackers, or make your own with plain card and a small present.

Advent calendars and jumpers

The cardboard from an advent calendar usually goes in your recycling. Take out the plastic tray first. Party poppers go in your general waste.

A Christmas jumper you've grown tired of can go to a charity shop or a textile bank.

Food, bottles and leftovers

Plan portions to waste less, and freeze what you can. Peelings, bones and plate scrapings can go in a food caddy if your council collects food waste.

Don't pour fat from the turkey or goose down the sink: it sets and blocks pipes. Let it cool and harden. Soak up small amounts with kitchen roll and put it in your bin, and take larger amounts of cooking oil to a recycling centre.

Clean kitchen foil, foil trays, glass bottles, cans and plastic pudding basins are usually recyclable at home.

Delivery boxes and bin days

Flatten cardboard boxes so they fit, and take out the plastic packaging and polystyrene. If you have more than your bin will hold, recycling centres usually take extra cardboard.

Collection days often move over Christmas and New Year. Check your council's website, or your council's page on Recycle This if we have one.

Common questions

Is wrapping paper recyclable?

Plain paper usually is. Scrunch it up: if it stays scrunched, recycle it. Foil, glittery or plastic-coated paper goes in your general waste, and so do sticky tape and ribbons. See wrapping paper for your council's rule.

Can you recycle Christmas cards?

Yes, with your paper, unless they have glitter, foil or badges. Tear those parts off first. See greeting cards.

How do I get rid of my real Christmas tree?

Many councils collect real trees in January or take them at recycling centres, and some charities collect them for a donation. Take off all the decorations and the stand. See real Christmas trees and choose your council.

Can tinsel be recycled?

No. Tinsel and foil garlands go in your general waste, so keep them and reuse them. See tinsel.

What do I do with broken Christmas lights?

Never put them in a bin. They're electricals: take them to a recycling centre or a shop that takes back small electricals. See fairy lights.

Can you recycle Christmas crackers?

Mostly, yes. The card tube and the paper hat go in your paper and card recycling. The snap, the plastic toy and any foil or glitter wrapping go in your general waste. See Christmas crackers.

Can glittery wrapping paper be recycled?

No. Glitter and foil are plastic or metal stuck to the paper, so the whole sheet goes in your general waste. See glittery or foil wrapping paper.

Can you recycle gift bags?

Plain paper gift bags can go in your paper recycling once the handles, ribbon and tags are off. Glittery, foil or laminated bags go in your general waste. Reusing them is better still. See gift bags.

How councils compare

Sources

Each item's answer above comes from the national guidance in our data. Your council's own rules can differ: choose your council on any item page, or check its website.