Three ways to reuse old Christmas cards
January 13, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Each January we must tend to the undoing of a task which was full of excitement back in December. The party is over for another year and normality resumes. The tinsel and baubles are packed away (they have a duty to fulfil next year), but a pile of Christmas cards sit redundant.
Instead of reaching for the dustbin just yet, here are a few ideas to make more of old cards while also being good to the environment.
Recycle
The Woodland Trust is again running its annual scheme to recycle donated cards into paper products, the profits of which help fund tree planting throughout the UK. During January, cards can be deposited at Woodland Trust collection boxes, located at WHSmith, TK Maxx and Marks & Spencer stores.
The Trust is hoping to collect enough to facilitate the planting of fifteen thousand trees, helping towards sustaining the UK’s percentage of woodland area. Over the last twelve years, 13,080 tonnes of cards have been gratefully accepted, enabling 155,000 native trees to be planted across the country. Participants can even have a say in where the trees should be planted by voting on the Woodland Trust website.
Get Creative
Trying your hand at some home crafting can prove an enjoyable activity with family and friends. With a little glue and a pair of scissors, Christmas cards can be transformed into all kinds of new treasures, from games to decorations for next year’s festive season.
There are many websites offering tips on things to make from your old cards at home. Activity Village and Family Crafts offer step by step instructions for a raft of ideas, including gift boxes, gift tags, card ornaments, picture frames, new cards and jigsaw games.
Donate
Another rewarding way of dispensing with your old cards could be to donate them to charities and schools where they may be used for craft projects. You may, however, find some unable or unwilling to accept card donations. The best advice is to call beforehand.
A registered UK charity certainly accepting of donations is the Cobalt Appeal Fund. The charity, based in Cheltenham, aims to raise funds to facilitate the research, screening and diagnosis of cancer. A Christmas card scheme will run until January 22nd where all cards collected will be recycled into new ones ready for sale next autumn. For more information on the charity and where to send your used cards, please visit the website.
Thanks for this informative and helpful article.
I’ve been sat scratching my head about what to do with the pile of old cards on my desk – now I know!
What if you want to keep them for memories and stuff like that. I think you should keep them and remember the times and the years.
Is it too late for recycling my Christmas cards