5 Beautiful Eco-Friendly Options for Wrapping Gifts
/My storage room is already filling up with gifts for this holiday season which means that it is time to start wrapping up presents.
As I do with everything, I want to try and wrap them in a way that doesn’t harm the planet. Every year we Americans use 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper and most of that is used during this season. Luckily, there are some ways to make sure that we pick a wrapping option that is ecofriendly and attractive.
The easiest method of cutting down how much wrapping paper is in our landfill is by choosing wrapping paper that is recyclable. Wrapping that includes metallic elements or glitter is not recyclable so as long as you stay away from those rolls, you can choose pretty wrapping paper that can be at home in your blue bin. This will also cut down on finding little pieces of red and green glitter throughout your house during the year as somehow glitter is impossible to completely get rid of. You can even look for wrapping paper that has been made from recycled paper so that we get good use out of our recycled paper. At the end of the holiday, just make sure you are collecting the paper and putting it in your recycling.
You can choose to reuse paper that you already have for an artistic touch. Using newspaper like this one tied up with ribbon can be cute and quirky, especially if you use the comics section. You can take a look around the house or your recycling bin to see if you spot other options such as old maps or sheet music that can be used. If you have young children or grandchildren giving gifts, consider using their old coloring pages to wrap small gifts. They will be beaming with pride to see their artwork under the tree and it will get a second use. Family members to love these unexpected personal little touches that come with reused wrapping paper.
Wrapping up your gifts in fabric using bandanas, scarves, or fabric scraps is a beautiful way to wrap gifts that feels luxurious, but can also be eco-friendly. Depending on the fabric you choose, it can also be a part of the gift. This practice is inspired by the Japanese art of Furoshiki and there are plenty of tutorials online of different ways to wrap presents using fabric.
Using fabric in a different way, channel your inner Santa Claus and purchase reusable sacks. This is what my mother and mother-in-law both do and it makes me feel just like a kid again as I get to go through the big sack pulling out my gifts. Collect them at the end of the celebration and store them for next year and then you don’t have to worry about buying wrapping in future years at all. It is also easier to throw the presents in these than to wrap presents and they still look beautiful.
You can also choose reusable containers such as boxes or tins for presents. These can give you the more traditional look of a present, but be made out of durable material that can last for years. These also tend to be great for younger or older gift recipients because it can be much easier to just lift the top of a box up than it can be to try and tear open wrapping paper and undo tightly strung bows and ribbons.
Choosing to use eco-friendly practices to wrap gifts can make us feel better about reducing how much we are putting in the landfill and reduce how many trees we are having to cut down, but it also serves another purpose. It helps us gently lead others to think about their impact on the planet as well. It takes all of us doing what we can to keep our Earth clean. Small reminders like receiving a gift from someone who clearly cares about the planet help encourage everyone to keep making sustainable choices in the new year.