Wrap up Christmas by recycling right

Be an environmental star and add to the more than 1900 tonnes of paper recycled in Townsville this year by recycling your wrapping paper this Christmas.

Wrapping paper is suitable for residential recycling bins across Townsville, even if it has small amounts of foil or glitter.

Mayor Nick Dametto said wrapping paper was an item that residents were often confused about.

“Wrapping paper is fun, colourful and often shiny – a combination that throws people off when it comes to recycling. The good news is that wrapping paper can be recycled in your yellow-lidded bin,” Cr Dametto said.

“Once you’re done opening presents, grab your wrapping paper and cardboard boxes, squash them down and pop them into your recycling bin. It doesn’t matter if these items have small amounts of foil or glitter, they can still be placed in your recycling bin.”

Cr Dametto said residents should remember the six items that could be recycled at home.

“When recycling we need to avoid contamination in recycling bins, so make sure you only place paper, cardboard, hard plastic food and drink containers, glass jars and bottles, steel tins and aluminium cans in your bin. And remember, these items need to be at least the size of a credit card,” he said.

“To get recycling right in Townsville, we worked with the State Government to conduct bin health checks earlier this year. These checks showed 83 per cent of households were recycling correctly, but we can do better. By remembering which six items can be recycled at your home, we’ll be able to reduce waste to landfill in Townsville.”

For more information on recycling at home, visit Council’s website.