There are a few things you can always expect during the holidays: family dinners, exchanging gifts, and the clean-up that follows. Download our Manitoba holiday recycling guide to see how to best dispose of gift bags, wrapping paper, and other holiday items. We go into more detail on the most common holiday items below.
Don’t see the item you’re looking for? Look it up in the Recyclepedia to see if it belongs in your blue bin or a drop-off location near you.
Can you recycle gift wrap?
Brown craft paper is accepted for recycling in Manitoba. Coloured and/or shiny wrapping paper is not accepted. The intensity of dyes in the paper makes taking the ink of out the paper inefficient and cost-prohibitive to recycle.
Can you recycle gift bags?
Plain paper gift bags are accepted in your blue bin – just remove the handles so they don’t get caught in the recycling machinery. Plastic gift bags and coloured paper gift bags are not accepted. Save your gift bags to reuse next year.
Can you recycle holiday decorations?
Any decorations you no longer use can be donated to a thrift store. Holiday decorations and string lights are not accepted for recycling in your blue bin. Broken string lights can be dropped off at Urbanmine for metal recycling.
Can you recycle Christmas trees?
Most municipalities have a Christmas tree recycling program available for real trees. This gives people an opportunity to responsibly recycle their trees and wreaths after the holiday season is done. Reach out to your local municipality for details. Artificial Christmas trees aren’t recyclable. Donate your old tree to a second-hand store.
What do you do with extra recyclables?
You can drop off excess packaging that won’t fit inside your recycling bin at your local recycling depot or transfer stations for free. Download our guide here.
