Can You Recycle Christmas Cards?

November 01, 2022

Can you recycle Christmas cards? In short – probably.

We don’t know what stage you are at in your festive preparations – perhaps the tree has just been put up, perhaps it has long since come down. You may be scrambling to assemble a stack of presents, perusing online stores and ringing relatives for tips. You may be rushing through the busy shops, hoping to buy enticing treats to pile in your fridge and in your larder – you may be waiting in line as you’re reading this article.

Regardless, somewhere in your home, in a drawer that is rarely opened, on the kitchen table, the mantle, a bookshelf – there is a stack of used Christmas cards.

They’re from friends and family – neighbours, colleagues. They’re packed with thoughtful messages and well wishes, some wrapped in timeless vintage designs, others in charmingly kitschy visual puns. Some recall treasured memories of Christmases past. And some are from distant relatives – perhaps the only communication you will have with them all year. A tangible reminder of your connection to an extended family, sent from other countries, continents, through the air and across oceans. And now they’re all destined for the bin. Oh dear.

Don’t fret, conscientious Christmas consumer – there’s a lot we can do with our old cards that will guarantee they don’t end up decking the halls of a distant landfill.

From simple, sustainable recycling, to getting creative, and transforming your existing cards into unique and thoughtful gifts and decorations, we’ve got a comprehensive guide to everything you can do with an old traditional Christmas card, or several, below. But first: let’s cover why you should consider recycling your used cards.

Why Should You Recycle Your Old Christmas Cards?

The simple answer to this is that it is better for the planet – but there are several reasons as to why this is the case. The scale of waste is astonishing – 222.2 million tonnes was generated by British households in 2018, 45% of it was recycled.

With the Covid pandemic, the rate of recycling decreased (in all countries except Wales), the result of disruptions in kerbside clearance and closures of recycling centres. So it’s even more important that we kick our recycling back into gear.

It’s important to note that our collective action actually does make a difference here, and before Covid, there was a steady rise in recycling rates year by year.

Rates of Recycling Across the World (2018, 2019)

Japan – 20%
Canada – 29%
United States – 32%
Spain – 35%
United Kingdom – 44%
France – 46%
Italy – 55%
South Korea – 65%
Germany – 67%
Slovenia – 72%

It’s always important to remember that when something goes in the bin and is carted away in the early hours of the morning, it doesn’t just disappear. It will inevitably end up somewhere, and it’s often our decision as to whether it’s somewhere that will harm or help the planet.

Benefits of Recycling Christmas Cards

Cards are generally made out of recyclable paper, paper is made out of wood, wood comes from trees. This we know, but the reason that people have been pushing to save the trees for so many years goes above a simple slogan.

Trees are incredibly valuable assets to our planet, and have such varied and interesting benefits to the lives of people across the world. They offer more than simply looking lovely in our homes when adorned with flashing lights and festive ornaments, of course.

By recycling your Christmas cards, you’ll be helping to maintain these valuable parts of our ecosystem, and there are also other, general benefits as to why recycling contributes to a healthier, more sustainable planet.

Reducing energy used by production – Paper production from recycled paper is 60% more efficient than paper made from wood. The infrastructure used in the production of paper, including transporting raw materials, necessarily uses energy and creates emissions.
Reducing emissions from machinery – The machinery used to deforest areas of trees creates emissions which contribute towards climate change, and can have immediate negative effects on the surrounding area.
Capturing carbon dioxide – Trees capture carbon dioxide, helping to ease one of the main drivers for climate change, as carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to raising the earth’s temperature.
Reducing flooding – Trees protect areas from floods as their roots help water penetrate deeper into the ground, reducing the amount that collects on the surface. Rain that lands on their leaves also evaporates into the air faster, and if it does, ultimately hits the ground less hard, reducing the effects of erosion.
Aiding biodiversity – Forests are fantastically biodiverse ecosystems, with a range of plant and animal species that are of scientific and cultural interest. The destruction of habitats like ancient woodlands means that they can’t be replaced.
Protecting different cultures – Cultures that rely on forests can find their livelihoods destroyed by deforestation.

Why Reducing Emissions and Energy Use Is So Important

In the list above, you’ll have seen the words ‘emissions’ and ‘energy use’ thrown around, so let’s quickly look at why these terms matter.

Everything, from the smallest Christmas card to the largest apartment complex requires energy to produce, the problem is that this energy isn’t always renewably sourced (although this varies depending on the company creating the product).

Some of it comes from coal and natural gas, which release emissions like carbon dioxide that trap heat in the atmosphere and raise the temperature of the planet, as well as dangerous carbon particulates which reduce air quality. Here are just some of the effects that these processes are contributing too.

Flooding – Climate change heats up the planet’s oceans, and melts ice sheets and glaciers, causing them to rise, which contributes to flooding in low lying areas. Increased evaporation also means heavier rainfall, and dryer soils caused by raising temperatures are less effective at absorbing water.
Storms – As air becomes warmer, tropical storms such as hurricanes become fiercer and more frequent.
Air quality – Carbon particulates from coal power stations collect in the air and create smog, which is dangerous to human lungs.
Biodiversity – Species are unable to adapt to the speed of human made climate change, resulting in many dying out.

These are just some of the countless effects that increased emissions and energy use can cause, something we can help mitigate with recycling – yes, even down to the smallest Christmas card.

Where Can You Recycle Your Old Christmas Cards?

After that long, but important tangent, let’s point you in the direction of where to recycle your old Christmas cards.

Things to Know before Recycling Your Old Christmas Card

Some Christmas cards may not be completely recyclable, so be sure to remove the items from the following list before you dispose of them.

Plastics (including wrapping which can be recycled elsewhere)
Glitter – glitter is made of tiny pieces of plastic, but cannot be recycled.
Batteries and other electronic parts – batteries can be recycled at your local household waste recycling centre.
Any other elements not made out of paper or cardstock.

How to Dispose of Old Christmas Cards at Home

As with all paper products, recycling your cards is a simple enough task, and they can be recycled alongside their envelopes in your home’s recycling collection.

Where to Take Old Christmas Cards

If you have a large amount of paper and other recyclables including plastic and glass bottles – which can happen if there’s significant time between pickups – you can take your recyclable waste to a recycling centre. There are also often recyclable collection containers outside supermarkets, if you want to avoid the queues of your local tip.

You can find your local recycling centre and check which materials can be recycled online.

What Can You Do with Your Old Christmas Cards?

You don’t have to just recycle your old Christmas cards to make a difference – the phrase goes ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ after all. And with that, there are plenty of amazing things that you can do to breathe life into an old Christmas card, and spread joy in a sustainable, creative way. It’s also a wonderful thing to do with kids – so gather round, here are some fun ideas for how to transform your old Christmas cards.

1. Gift Tags

With the assortment of gifts piling up under the tree – or your neatly wrapped presents sequestered somewhere safe, ready to transport to the house of a friend or family member, you’ll need tags to distinguish which present is for who.

And you can do that with your old Christmas cards! All you need is a beautiful card, a bit of string, some scissors and a hole-punch to create a series of unique, thoughtful tags. Here’s how:

Cut a card into rectangular sections, big enough to write a short message, without including any previous messages that were on the old card.
Write a short message on the blank side of the card section.
Punch a hole on one side, and thread a piece of string through, tying it off over the top of the section.
Tape it onto the respective present – repeat until you run out of presents (or cards!)

2. Christmas Card Bunting

Another fantastic, creative way to use old Christmas cards is to make some wonderfully festive bunting – with your old cards coming together for a rustic, handmade feel. Get your string at the ready!

Snip your cards in half, and put the side without the design into the recycling.
Print out a bunting template from google, or create your own – Microsoft has plenty of shapes you can insert and resize on the page, just make sure you give it thick lines that are easy to cut around.
Cut around the template and glue it onto the blank side of the remaining half of the card.
Cut through both the card and the template creating your bunting shape from the design.
Repeat with your other cards until you have plenty of shapes, then punch a whole into the top of each and thread your string through.
Hang up your new handmade bunting!

3. Bookmarks

Bookmarks are one of the simplest ways to make use of old Christmas cards – simply cut a lovely card into strips of around two inches in width and you’re good to go!

4. Christmas Card Wreaths

Wreaths are a wonderful, traditional festive decoration, adorning doors across the world in the winter season, and you can make one out of used Christmas cards – just bear in mind you’ll need a lot of them!

Print out a template of different sized circles, each small enough to fit on your cards.
Snip your card in half, and put the side without the design into the recycling.
Cut out the circles from your template, and fix them onto the blank side of each of your cards.
Keep going until you’ve got enough circles to form the shape of a wreath.
Glue them together with larger circles at the back and smaller circles on top until you’re happy with the result.
Fix a bow onto the top of the wreath, and use string and a hole–punch to hang it up wherever you choose!

Or, for an even simpler design that keeps the structure of the original cards.

Simply lay complete cards in a circle shape, letting them overlap one another.
Glue the overlapping parts of the cards until they’re stuck together, and the circle holds its shape when moved.
Attach a bow to the top, and use string or double sided tape to hang it up wherever you choose!

5. Festive Decorations

Got any particularly luxury old Christmas cards that you just can’t bring yourself to part with – make some brilliant decorations with them!

Old frames and lovely cards go hand in hand, put them together and you’ve got a great decoration for your mantelpiece.

Or simply cut shapes out of your old cards and thread string through them to attach them onto your Christmas tree.

You can also make wonderful miniature Christmas trees out of your old cards simply by cutting them into different sized shapes, arranging them so that the largest shapes are on the bottom and the smallest on the top, then sticking them through on a stand.

Where Can You Buy Recyclable Christmas Cards Online?

Now that we’ve answered the question ‘can Christmas cards be recycled’ – and discovered a whole range of creative ways we can upcycle them ensuring they’ll be cherished year in year out, let’s look at where we can buy high-quality recyclable cards online.

Lots of people turn to online shopping during the Christmas period. And it’s easy to see why – you no longer have to contend with those ever busy shops, and you more or less don’t have to worry about whether something is in stock.

There are some concerns about how online shopping may affect the environment – but you can help to mitigate these issues by doing all your orders in bulk and buying in advance, avoiding same day shipping. This is because some companies send their vehicles out when they’re not entirely full for fast orders, meaning more trips and more energy is required to get their stock to your door.

If you’re looking for a card company that designs high-quality cards for you to cherish and transform years into the future – Boomf delivers across the UK for free, with a range of festive designs to boot.

All our standard cards can be recycled, and while our specialist cards contain some moving parts, many of these are recyclable as well.

As the objective of recycling isn’t just to see existing materials transform, but to reduce the amount of materials used altogether, it might seem difficult for a temporary item, such as a Christmas card for loved ones to be part of a sustainable lifestyle.

But the fact that they are widely recyclable – in fact some will be recycled into other Christmas cards – and because they can be used after the fact in so many different ways, probably lets you know that they’re one of the better products when it comes to environmental impact.

We applaud you if you’re doing your best to cut down on waste to a minimum, and in that regard, we’d advise buying your cards in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging.

We hope that this article has covered any questions you had about recycling Christmas cards, and so much more about how we can play a part in protecting our planet.