Recycling at Easter

Here's some handy tips on how you can reduce waste this Easter.

Easter is a time for enjoying chocolate treats, family gatherings and spring celebrations—but it can also create a surprising amount of waste. From packaging to food leftovers, the good news is that much of it can be recycled or reused.

Here’s how you can have a more sustainable Easter with these seven simple recycling tips courtesy of Recycle Now. 

1. Easter Egg Packaging

Easter eggs often come with a mix of cardboard boxes and plastic inserts. 

Most cardboard boxes and plastic trays can go straight into your household recycling. Just remember to flatten boxes first to save space in your bin.

Good to know:
Recycled cardboard from Easter egg boxes can be turned into a wide range of new products—from cereal boxes to fresh egg cartons and even delivery packaging. Recycling really does give materials a second life.

2. Easter Egg Foil

That colourful foil wrapping your chocolate eggs is usually recyclable.

Simply scrunch it into a ball—if it stays scrunched, it can go in your recycling bin. If it springs back open, it’s likely made from laminated materials and should go in general waste.

3. Gift Wrap and Sweet Wrappers

Plastic cellophane from Easter baskets and most sweet wrappers aren’t typically accepted in kerbside recycling.

However, many supermarkets offer collection points for soft plastics like these. You can drop them off along with plastic bags and other flexible packaging—just make sure they’re clean and dry.

4. Easter Cards

If you’ve received Easter cards, you can usually recycle them at home along with envelopes.

The exception? Cards with glitter, foil or heavy embellishments—these should go in your general waste bin.

5. Easter Food Waste

Where possible, use up leftovers creatively. But for anything inedible—like eggshells or vegetable scraps—these can go in your food waste bin if you have one.

6. Flowers and Decorations

Spring flowers make beautiful Easter centrepieces, but once they’ve passed their best, don’t throw them in general waste.

They can go in your garden waste bin or compost heap.

For more tips:  https://www.recyclenow.com/how-to-recycle/recycle-easter