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Holiday Tips for Recycling Paper in Your Home

‘Tis the season to recycle!

During the holiday season, our homes are filled with greeting cards from family and friends, cardboard boxes from online shopping, and wrapping paper and paper bags for gifting.  

But which of these holiday essentials are recyclable? The answer is many of them if they’re made from paper, but there are a few things to know before you place an item in the recycling bin.

This holiday season, we can all do our part to recycle. From keeping corrugated boxes clean and dry to trying the scrunch test on wrapping paper. Recent articles in USA Today and Real Simple Magazine offer some helpful holiday tips for recycling paper in your home.

This time of year is also a reminder to avoid what’s known as “wishcycling”—putting something in your recycling bin in the hope that someone, somewhere, will figure out what to do with it along the way. 

Wishcycling holiday products, such as ribbons and bows made from plastic, actually impedes the recycling process. These non-recyclables contaminate otherwise recyclable paper, which can be made into new paper products.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance U.S. paper and wood products manufacturers through fact-based public policy and marketplace advocacy. The forest products industry is circular by nature. AF&PA member companies make essential products from renewable and recyclable resources, generate renewable bioenergy and are committed to continuous improvement through the industry’s sustainability initiative —Better Practices, Better Planet 2030: Sustainable Products for a Sustainable Future. The forest products industry accounts for approximately 5% of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufactures about $350 billion in products annually and employs about 925,000 people. The industry meets a payroll of about $65 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 43 states. Visit AF&PA online at afandpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ForestandPaper