Our Recycling Policy

Our Commitment to Recyclable Packaging

There’s something exciting about receiving a parcel in the post. Stylish boxes, tissue paper, printed cards, and stickers can make an online purchase feel even more special.

Many people believe that a nicely packaged product has a more premium feel. However, as online shopping continues to grow, so too does the environmental impact of packaging.

The 'beautifying' of e-commerce parcels may enhance presentation, but also contributes to a growing waste problem.

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

Even packaging that claims to be recyclable often ends up in landfill, either because it’s not genuinely recyclable or because it’s too difficult or expensive to process.  

As well as reducing the amount of waste going to landfill, recycling also helps conserve natural resources and lowers the demand for new materials.

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

The issue with packaging is that it's a constant cycle of consumption and disposal. Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers are all part of this chain, continuously buying and disposing of materials, most of which are only used once.

Imagine the impact if we all reused packaging that could be reused. Small changes in consumer behaviour could lead to a dramatic reduction in waste.

What We Do at Stone Mania

At Stone Mania, we're passionate about protecting the environment and are committed to doing everything we can to minimise our carbon footprint.

Our focus is on keeping packaging simple, sustainable, and fully recyclable. We use plain, unbranded packaging, which we believe is more sustainable than printed boxes. It requires fewer materials to produce and avoids the energy, chemicals, and waste involved in commercial printing. Plain packaging is also much easier to recycle.

We don't use plastic, which includes bubble wrap and plastic sticky tape, or unnecessary printed matter. Our packaging only includes what’s absolutely necessary to ensure your order arrives safely and with minimal impact on the environment, making it a smarter choice for us as a small business and the planet.

Although fully sustainable and recyclable packaging is widely available, it often comes at a cost. These materials can be more expensive to produce and source, which pushes up the overall price of a product.

Understanding What Is and Isn't Recyclable

Many people, including some retailers, don't realise that paper with adhesive, such as Post-it notes, sticky labels and even paper sticky tapes, 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 directly to several recycling plants in the UK, I was told that's not true.  

Most council websites state that anything with adhesive must go to landfill. Every official recycling website I've visited states the same.

Despite raising this with several wholesalers who claim their sticky tape is fully recyclable, most failed to respond.

Other paper products that cannot be recycled include:

• Foil-based wrapping, which is paper with a metallic layer. If the paper springs back when scrunched, it's foil-based.

• Most printed wrapping paper and parchment paper cannot be recycled due to coatings, dyes or non-paper content.

• Anything glossy, laminated, plastic-coated or with glitter, which often includes business cards, cannot be recycled.

• Shredded paper or cardboard is not widely accepted in kerbside recycling, yet is used by many companies who claim their packaging is fully recyclable.

Some councils can recycle shredded paper, but it's not standard practice. If you're in the UK, you can check whether it can go in your blue recycling bin here.

Where it is recycled, councils request that it be placed in a paper bag or box that can be closed so the paper doesn't fly around in the recycling plant. 

Ideally, sticky labels used on packaging should be removed before recycling. If left on, they're removed manually at the recycling plant.  

At recycling plants where waste is sorted, anything that cannot be recycled is classed as a contaminant and is removed.

Many items marked as recyclable go to landfill because they can only be recycled at specialist recycling centres. So, while technically recyclable, they don't end up being recycled. 

The Importance of Awareness and Responsibility

To help protect Earth's resources for future generations, we must all work to reduce the amount of waste that we produce. We also need to become more aware of what can and cannot be recycled and how to recycle some materials correctly.

As consumers, we have become too accustomed to throwing things away without giving a second thought as to whether they could be reused. Breaking the constant cycle of production, consumption, and disposal is just as important as recycling.

Many people have the right attitude when it comes to recycling and genuinely want to do the right thing. However, the effort put into presentation by many retailers often takes priority over sustainability, even if unintentionally.

Beautiful packaging may enhance the unboxing experience, but it often comes at an environmental cost that’s easy to overlook.

When fully sustainable materials are used, it can also have a financial impact, as the price of the product must often be increased to cover the additional expense.