Are Chocolate Wrappers Recyclable?

If there is one treat that is loved by people of all age groups, it has to be chocolate. It’s savory yet affordable, making it the centerpiece of special days like Valentine’s Day and Easter.

Research even shows that some people can eat up to 8 kilograms of chocolate in a single year.

But with all this chocolate we’re eating comes one problem – how are we going to get rid of all those chocolate wrappers? Should we just throw them in the trash? Can they be recycled?

Well, that’s what we’re going to discuss today.

Are foil chocolate wrappers recyclable?

Whatever facility you end up using in the end, keep the following in mind when recycling foil chocolate wrappers:

• It is better to accumulate a lot of them before recycling. Scrunch them together to form a large ball – this makes them easier to recycle.
• Ensure your wrappers are clean before dropping them off at the facility.

Interestingly, aluminum foil isn’t the only material used for chocolate wrappers.

A good number are made from soft plastic polypropylene. And while they can be recycled, they are also not accepted everywhere – recycling them is hard.

Ultimately, the only chocolate wrappers that can be recycled easily are those made of paper or cellophane.

Are chocolate wrappers biodegradable or compostable?

Since the majority of chocolate wrappers are made of aluminum foil, propylene, or cellophane, they aren’t biodegradable. The few made from paper or newly adopted bioplastics are the ones that are biodegradable and can even be composted.

Fortunately, more and more chocolate manufacturers are opting for biodegradable wrapping options. For instance, in 2016, Mars, the company behind the Snickers bar, launched their first bioplastics wrappers made from potato starch waste.

On the other hand, chocolate makers Alter Eco have been using wood-based materials to make their wrappers from as early as 2015 – these wrappers decompose after being buried in soil for 6 weeks.

Even small manufactures like Seattle Chocolate have launched compostable wrappers in recent years. It is therefore not surprising that one of the biggest brands in this industry, Nestle, also announced a switch to paper wrapping.

Other brands that use biodegradable wrappers include Divine, Seed & Bean, and Love Cocoa. Divine is even 45% owned by local cocoa farmers and uses paper that is sustainably sourced. As the years pass by, we can only hope that other chocolate manufacturers follow suit.

Buy chocolate responsibly

If you truly want to enjoy your chocolate and care for the environment at the same time, you’re going to have to shop more responsibly.

Only go for brands that use biodegradable or recyclable wrappers – that’s the best option you have!