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Can You Recycle Birthday Cards?

Yes, birthday cards and envelopes made of paper are usually okay to recycle. Don’t worry about removing the stamp from the envelope, either.

What Kinds of Birthday Cards Cannot be Recycled?

Birthday cards that are covered in glitter or made from photo paper cannot be recycled. If the card has a battery in it, like one that sings, the battery needs to be removed before recycling.

However, if the card has a sticker on it, that’s okay to keep on the card. Stickers, like stamps, get filtered out in the recycling process.

How Do You Recycle Birthday Cards?

Always be sure to check your local community’s recycling guidelines to see what’s accepted. And, when in doubt, throw it out. Wishcycling - when we put something in the recycling bin hoping it will be recycled - disrupts the recycling process.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance public policies that foster economic growth, job creation and global competitiveness for a vital sector that makes the essential paper and packaging products Americans use every day. The U.S. forest products industry employs more than 925,000 people, largely in rural America, and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 44 states. Our industry accounts for approximately 4.7% of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufacturing more than $435 billion in products annually. AF&PA member companies are significant producers and users of renewable biomass energy and are committed to making sustainable products for a sustainable future through the industry’s decades-long initiative — Better Practices, Better Planet 2030