what bin does wrapping paper go in

Most shiny or glittery wrapping paper needs to go in the general waste bin, not the recycling bin, because of coatings, plastic film, foil, or heavy inks that paper mills cannot process easily.

Quick answer

• If the wrapping paper is foil, glittery, metallic, laminated, very plasticky, or heavily taped → put it in the general waste bin.

• If it is plain paper , passes the “scrunch test”, and your council accepts wrapping paper → it can usually go in the recycling bin.

• Bows, ribbons, plastic tags, and sticky tape → general waste.

• Tissue paper is often low‑quality fibre and many areas ask for it in general waste or compost/food waste if clean and allowed locally.

Always check your local council’s current guidance, because rules differ by area and change over time.

Simple checks you can do

• Scrunch test : Scrunch the wrapping paper into a ball.
  • If it stays scrunched and is clearly just paper (no glitter/foil) → more likely recyclable where wrapping paper is accepted.

* If it **springs back** or feels plasticky/metallic → general waste.

• Look for extras :
  • Remove tape, bows, ribbons, gift tags, string, and plastic before recycling; those all go in general waste.

* If the paper is more like **foil** than paper, it belongs in general waste.

Why so much goes in general waste

Many councils have tightened rules because sorting facilities struggle with:

• Mixed materials (paper plus plastic film or foil).

• Glitter, sticky tape, and labels contaminating paper loads.

• Very low‑grade paper fibres that are hard to recycle economically.

Because of this, some UK councils now say all wrapping paper should go to landfill or general waste, even if it looks “recyclable”.

Better options for next time

• Choose plain kraft/brown paper or simple printed paper without glitter or foil; easier to recycle in many areas.

• Reuse gift bags, boxes, and fabric gift wraps (furoshiki‑style cloth wraps, reusable sacks).

• Use newspapers, paper shopping bags, or catalog pages as gift wrap, which are often accepted with normal paper/card recycling once tape is removed.

TL;DR: Unless it is clearly plain, non‑glitter, non‑foil paper and your council says they take it, it is safest to put wrapping paper in general waste , with all ribbons and tape removed.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.