Do the Scrunch Test to put your old wrapping paper in the right bin

Scrunch It To Sort It is a campaign by Norfolk Recycles, aimed at getting foil paper, glitter and sticky tape out of people's recycling bins and making sure good quality paper goes in.

To carry out the test, scrunch the wrapping paper in your hand. If it stays scrunched, it can go in your recycling bin but if it bounces back, it can't be recycled and needs to go in the rubbish bin.

This test can also be applied to other household items, such as crisp packets and plastic bags, neither of which can be put in home recycling bins.

Scrunch It To Sort It also asks people to make sure no glittery items get placed in their recycling bin and that, where possible, sticky tape is removed from their wrapping paper.

These items cannot be recycled and end up contaminating the county's recycling as it goes through the sorting facility in Costessey.

Cllr John Fisher, Chairman of the Norfolk Waste Partnership, said: "Christmas is a busy time of year and we know recycling might be the last thing on people's minds.

"But the scrunch test is an easy and fun way of finding out if your wrapping paper can be recycled - you can get the whole family involved when clearing up after the presents have been opened."

Other items that can be recycled at Christmas include mince pie boxes, plastic trays and foil tins, glass bottles, plastic bottles, Christmas cards, cardboard boxes and toy packaging, cardboard chocolate and biscuit boxes and their inner trays.

Everything needs to be separated by pulling inner packaging out of boxes and, if dirty - rinsed, left to dry and put loose into the recycling bin.

For more information about recycling in Norfolk this Christmas and beyond, please visit www.norfolkrecycles.com or find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Issued by Norfolk Waste Partnership on Friday, December 14