Sainsbury's is recycling poppies after Remembrance Sunday

Services and parades were held across the country to remember and honour those who lost their lives in WWI and the conflicts that have followed.

The poppy is a symbol worn as a sign to show we are thinking of all those lost to conflicts.

Poppies can be bought in the lead up to Remembrance Day each year and they raise funds for the Royal British Legion, an organisation that helps those impacted by conflicts and all the servicemen and women who are still alive today.

Poppies (Image: PA)

If you've worn your paper poppy during November and you're not sure what you can do with it afterwards, look no further.

Why do we wear poppies?

The notion of wearing a poppy originates back to World War One when the flower began to grow on the battlefields where soldiers lost their lives.

But the poppy wasn't made a popular way to remember the brave until the famous World War One poem 'In Flanders Fields' was written by John McCrae. 

Since then, the poppy has become a symbol of remembering everyone who gave their lives to wars, but also to those who have died on behalf of their country.

READ MORE:

• Remembrance Day: Why is the Scottish poppy different?
• Remembrance Day 2022: What do white, red, purple, black poppies mean?

What to do with Remembrance Day paper poppies after wearing them

The Royal British Legion website explains that those who have a paper poppy can recycle them "in the most effective way" by taking them to their local Sainsbury’s store after Remembrance Day.

The organisation is trying to reduce how much single-use plastic is used for its products and it has already started the ball rolling with “changes that will remove over 8 million items of single use plastic” from its products, the website explains.

To find out more about the Poppy Appeal and the Royal British Legion, you can visit the website here.