Our Recycling Policy

Reduce Reuse Recycle

We all get excited when something that's been ordered online is delivered.  The use of colourful boxes, ribbons, tissue paper, printed cards, and stickers all make the purchase feel even more special.

Many people believe a nicely packaged product has a more upmarket feel.  With more consumers shopping online, the 'beautifying' of e-commerce parcels is becoming a serious problem.  This is because of the amount of waste being generated.

Although more recyclable materials are being used, eighty-six million tons of non-recyclable packaging is still being used globally each year.

A significant amount of packaging that's claimed to be recyclable ends up in landfill.  This is either because it's not actually recyclable or is too difficult or expensive to recycle.   

In addition to reducing the amount of waste going to landfill, recycling also helps conserve natural resources. It also reduces the amount of new materials that need to be produced.

Despite the benefits of recycling, a huge amount of energy is used to transport and process these materials.  It's worth remembering everything that's recycled must first be sorted.  That's why reusing is just as important as recycling.

The problem with packaging is that it's a constant cycle of consumption, disposal and waste.  Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers are all continuously buying and/or disposing of materials.  Most packaging is only used once.

Imagine the impact if we all reused packaging for as long as it was feasible.

At Stone Mania, we're passionate about the environment and do everything we can to minimise our carbon footprint.  We avoid using plastic packaging which includes bubble wrap and plastic sticky tape.  We use plain, non-printed packaging and don't include unnecessary printed matter.

Some orders are being sent out in non-recyclable padded envelopes, which are old stock and will not be replaced. Most orders now go out in plain cardboard boxes.  

Any paper with adhesive such as Post-It notes, sticky labels and sticky tape cannot be recycled.  Despite many companies claiming their sticky tape is recyclable, that's incorrect.  Anything with adhesive is not recycled.

Having challenged one company that claimed their sticky tape was fully recyclable, I was told the adhesive is removed with chemicals as part of the pulping process at the recycling plant.  

Having spoken to several recycling plants, I was told that's incorrect.  

On most council websites in the UK, it's clearly stated that anything with adhesive must go to landfill.  Every official recycling website that I've visited also states that adhesive cannot be recycled.

Despite raising this with several companies who claim their products are recyclable, most did not respond.

Foil-based wrapping, which is anything other than paper, cannot be recycled either.  Foil-based wrapping springs back when screwed-up.

Gift wrap and parchment paper cannot be recycled either.

Business cards or other printed materials with a plastic coating can't be recycled, nor can anything glossy, laminated or with glitter.

Tissue paper is not widely recycled. Many companies that claim they only use recyclable packaging use tissue paper, either in sheets or shredded.   

Some councils are able to recycle shredded paper.  If you're in the UK you can check whether it can go in your blue recycling bin here.

If it can be recycled with kerbside recycling, councils request that it be placed in a paper bag or box that can be closed.  That way it doesn't blow around in the recycling plant. 

The sticky address labels used on packaging should be removed before recycling.  

At recycling plants where rubbish is sorted, anything that cannot be recycled is classed as a contaminant.  Where possible, it will be removed. 

Many items marked as recyclable end up in landfill because they can only be recycled at specialist recycling centres.  Therefore, although recyclable, they can't be included with kerbside recycling. 

To ensure Earth's natural resources are available for future generations, we all need to reduce the amount of waste we generate.

We also need to become more aware of what can and cannot be recycled and how to recycle some materials correctly.

We have all become too accustomed to throwing things away without giving a second thought as to whether it could be reused. Reducing the constant cycle of production is just as important as recycling.