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It really comes down to what kind of paper we’re talking about.

If you’re interested in going a little greener this holiday season but don’t know where to start, one consideration you might want to take is using recyclable wrapping paper. With Christmas approaching at breakneck speed, this small change could help make your holidays a little more eco-friendly.

First, let’s start with some basics.

A general rule of thumb is that regular wrapping paper (including the glossy stuff) is often recyclable as long as it doesn’t have non-paper additives. This includes paper that has been dyed, laminated and contains metals, plastics, or glitter embedded within it or anywhere on it. If these extras are on the wrapping paper, it’s not recyclable and should get tossed with the rest of your trash. The wrapping paper in this link, for example, looks great but is covered in glitter. Because of this, it shouldn’t go in the recycling bin.

Sometimes, wrapping paper will be labeled as recyclable—once you remove extras like tape, you’ll be able to recycle it. If your paper isn’t labeled as recycle safe, try the scrunch test. Simply put, if you’re able to scrunch up a piece of wrapping paper—that stays scrunched up—it’s likely safe to recycle. If the paper bounces right back to its original shape, though, it’s not safe to recycle.

It’s important to keep your recycling in order because mixing non-recycling safe items with recyclable items mucks up the whole process. Non-recyclable items may cause jams in the machinery used by recycling centers, which could lead to breakdowns and subsequent delays in processing.

You should also keep an eye out for foil, ribbons, and bows that sometimes come attached to wrapped gifts—these are often not recyclable and must be removed from paper that is recyclable.

The good news is that tons of businesses now offer biodegradable and even reusable gift wrap options for whatever best suits your needs. Here’s the lowdown on both.

This paper can either be tossed into the trash where it will eventually disintegrate or it can be thrown into the recycling bin to be formed into something new. Keep in mind, biodegradable does not mean compostable.

Natural kraft paper like this brown one is biodegradable and pretty sturdy, so once it’s been used, you can upcycle it as scrap paper for things like coloring or sketching. If you have no need for extra scrap paper, simply throw the kraft paper away and know it’ll turn into cellulose and won’t add to the pollution in landfills.

Remember, though, that brown kraft paper is different from bleached kraft paper—the latter is not biodegradable and shouldn’t be treated as such.

In most cases, this means cloth gift wraps. (Unless you’re the kind of person who carefully and methodically opens presents in order to reuse the paper at another time!) Specifically, Japanese furoshiki wrapping cloth, which can be formed into a bag for carrying things in addition to being used as an eco-friendly gift wrap option.

This great alternative to wrapping paper is durable and can be reused several times over. Plus, there are lots of tutorials you can check out for wrapping traditional shapes like boxes and more oddly shaped items like wine bottles.

In short, yes, your run-of-the-mill wrapping paper is recyclable. Just remember that when you start to see things like plastic confetti, glitter, bows, and ribbons attached to the paper, you have to separate them before you can recycle the paper.

There are also alternative options if you want to commit to a more environmentally friendly holiday season—and who knows, maybe it’ll become a small change that becomes a year-round habit for birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations involving wrapped gifts.