Reuse & Recycle
One tradition associated with Christmas is the sending and receiving of Christmas greeting cards. Typically displayed on walls, shelves, and even hung from Christmas trees, cards arrive in various shapes, sizes and images with only one purpose – to let people know someone thinks of them.
Once the holiday concludes, too many Christmas cards still end up tossed away in the garbage when better alternatives exist today.
Found a card you think deserves a second life? It is easy to learn how to recycle Christmas cards. Reuse a Christmas card by adding it to a scrapbook album. Place it in the center of a page. Then add family photographs and descriptions of what went on during that day.
A good way to recycle old Christmas cards is to make them into bookmarks, or gift tags. Give them to children to cut up and use in collages. Or paste them into decoupage crafts, like a wooden jewelry box, frame, even TV trays.
Frame Victorian, elegant, or even humorous Christmas cards and hang on the wall for artwork. Create unusual designs with Christmas cards used as decorations for next Christmas. Cut and fold them into box shapes for small gift boxes and ornaments.
Rip Christmas greeting cards constructed of paper or cardstock into small, one inch pieces and toss them into a bucket filled with warm water. Blend the paper with a stick blender until they break up and mush together. Then use a homemade, or store bought paper making frame to gather and press handmade paper sheets. Add dried herbs, spices, and flowers to create one of a kind paper to use as gifts, or for you. Instead of pressing the paper pulp for handmade paper, roll small amounts between fingers and poke with a wooden stick to make paper beads.
A cute kids craft involves cutting Christmas cards into one inch wide long strips and weaving an Easter basket it from them. Glue, tape, or staple each strip in shape. Decorate with markers, glitter, and paint for unique designs. Some schools also collect used Christmas greeting cards to donate to their art students.
If you really must throw out the cards, recycle Christmas cards made from paper and cardstock by placing them in paper recycling bins. Woodland Trust teams up with other companies and host charities that recycle Christmas cards. Send any unwanted cards to them. Companies like Tesco and TK Maxx recycle Christmas cards into toilet paper, toilet paper roll insides, kitchen rolls, package materials, corrugated cards, and other recyclable items that help save the planet.
