Hendricks County Solid Waste Management District

In general, wrapping paper is not recyclable.  Often the ink used to produce wrapping paper isn't simply on the paper's surface.  Many times the paper is "beater dyed" which means the color is actually in the pulp of the paper.  The de-inking process used to recycle most other types of paper is not effective at removing ink from paper that has been beater dyed.  Many types of wrapping paper are very thin and contain few good quality fibers for recycling.  Additionally, wrapping paper is often laminated and/or contains glitter, tape or other additives that cannot be recycled.