Easter unwrapped - after the egg hunt and the chocolate fest comes the recycling

Happy Easter! Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant)

The Easter bunny will be bouncing through East Anglia this weekend, bringing chocolate eggs for children (and grown-ups.)

But the bounteous bunny is notorious for the amount of packaging he bundles around those delicious eggs.

To find out how to enjoy a traditional chocolatey Easter, without leaving a mountain of landfill, I went on my own high street Easter egg hunt and asked some recycling eggs-perts (sorry) for help.

The good news is that Easter packaging seems to be getting greener, with most of the eggs packaged mainly in cardboard and foil, and a couple completely plastic-packing free.

Smarties egg by Nestle.

The Easter bunny says: 'A milk chocolate egg with Smarties inside.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'The smarties are nestled inside my favourite completely biodegradable packing – chocolate. Bonus recycling rabbit points for plastic-free and completely recyclable foil and card packaging.'

Terry's Chocolate Orange egg

The Easter bunny says: 'A chocolate orange egg and two chocolate orange bars.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'The packaging simply carries the two-arrow recycling symbol. The large cardboard box and the protective card insert, plus the foil, are recyclable. However the bars are wrapped in non-recyclable film.

Cadbury's Crème Egg.

The Easter bunny says: 'It's not Easter without a crème egg or several. This has one hollow Easter egg plus a crème egg.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'Again, no plastic and the cardboard and the foil can be recycled.'

A Thorntons white chocolate bunny egg.

The Easter bunny says: 'A hollow white chocolate egg decorated with a delightful picture of me!'

Recycling rabbit says: 'The cardboard box and plastic tray can be recycled. The box says the plastic film window cannot currently be recycled but Norfolk and Suffolk waste partnership experts can accept it.'

A Cadbury's Dairy Milk buttons egg.

The Easter bunny says: 'A hollow Easter egg with a packet of chocolate buttons.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'There's a recycling logo on the cardboard packaging, which can be recycled, as can clean foil. However, the plastic packet of buttons is landfill.'

An Aero egg by Nestle.

The Easter bunny says: 'A large mint chocolate egg with Aero peppermint bubbles inside.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'The carton and foil are recyclable, but the sweets are inside a non-recyclable plastic bag.

A hollow chocolate rabbit made by Muller and Muller.

The Easter bunny says: 'A fine figure of an Easter gift, crafted in milk chocolate.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'This is my kind of Easter gift. Firstly because it's a rabbit, and secondly because the only packaging is a layer of recyclable foil.

My Little Pony Easter gift set from Kinnerton.

The Easter bunny says: 'I'm not entirely sure of the pony's place in Easter celebrations, the melamine bowl, spoon and beaker are pretty in pink and purple and the chocolate is nut safe and made in Norfolk.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'Re-using is even better than recycling, so make sure this goes to someone who will love the bowl, spoon and beaker. With Kinnerton based in Norfolk this has got local points too. The cardboard carton, foil wrapping and large plastic tray can all be recycled.'

A Maltesers egg with four chocolate bunnies.

The Easter bunny says: 'What says Easter better than a whole family of bunnies with an egg? Happy MaltEaster!'

Recycling rabbit says: 'I am a big fan of the recycling panel on the box, starring, you've guessed it, a rabbit. He shows you how the cardboard is recyclable, and the foil and plastic might be. I can tell you that the clean foil can be balled up and thrown in your recycling, but the wrappers around the mini rabbits will have to become landfill.

A Celebrations egg

The Easter bunny says: 'A hollow egg and miniature versions of chocolate bars.'

Recycling rabbit says: 'The helpful rabbit panel is on this egg too, but in slightly less helpful form as no mention is made of the definitely non-recyclable sweet wrappers. Card, foil and large plastic insert can be recycled. Sweet wrappers cannot.'

Paula Boyce of the Norfolk Waste Partnership, said cardboard packaging can be recycled and plastic film windows can be left in. Foil wrapping can be balled up and put into the recycling bin, as long as there is no chocolate on it. Sweet wrappers and packets cannot be recycled. For plastic trays and packaging Paula said it depends on how 'soft' the plastic is, but more rigid plastic packaging can be recycled.

Rob Cole, of the Suffolk Waste Partnership, said Suffolk residents can put cardboard and plastic packaging from around the Easter egg in their recycling bins. Aluminium foil should be rolled into balls roughly the size of a tennis ball as this helps with the separation and processing. Sweet wrappers and bags should always go in the rubbish bin, not the recycling.