The holidays are officially upon us! Time for mulled cider and homemade eggnog, fires and carols, and of course, gifts. Presents have never been the focus of the holidays for my family. In fact, this year I’m not asking for presents (here’s why). But I do love giving gifts to others. It’s pretty easy these days to find local and environmentally friendly gifts (or even give experiences as gifts). However, gift wrapping is just as important when considering your environmental impact.
Various sources estimate that Americans’ waste increases by 25% over the holidays. In Britain, it is estimated that each year, 226,800 miles of wrapping paper is thrown away. The waste from all of the bows, ribbons, bags, tissue paper, product packaging and wrapping paper really adds up!
I’ve put together a few ideas for alternative ways to wrap gifts so you can have a waste-free holiday!
Brown Paper
“… Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things!”. Who can resist singing the song from Sound of Music when they hear “brown paper packages”? This is a great method because it is so simple and everything can be reused (or composted/recycled) after use. Decorate the paper with stamps, drawings, notes, etc or tie a few evergreen sprigs, holly, or bells on the top for a festive look.
Brown paper is used as packaging when I order from my favorite herb company so using it for gift wrapping is a way to reuse it again before it gets recycled. Side note: the cotton string in the old coffee can labeled “store string” has been around since my dad was a little kid! Talk about longevity!
Tins
I love using tins for gifts. Not only are they basically infinitely reusable but some are pre-decorated with festive patterns. We reuse the same tins every year for gifts and we even use tins to store cookies and candy! Tins are great for gifts of food (homemade caramel popcorn anyone?), fragile items that need to be protected from getting crushed, and they are lightweight and affordable.
Fabric
Handkerchiefs, scarves, clothes, and fabric can be used to wrap gifts as well. The Japanese method of furoshiki uses fabric folded in different ways to wrap gifts or transport items. It’s even better if the recipient can use the fabric wrap (like a scarf or cloth napkin)! If you are in search of fabric, check out your local thrift store. People are always donating extra fabric from their craft supply and I have found some fantastic fabric at thrift stores!
Newspaper
If you still get the newspaper delivered, wrapping gifts with it is a great way to use it before it gets recycled. It is easy, versatile, and like the brown paper, you can decorate it! If you don’t get the newspaper, sometimes you can recover it from your workplace, a coffee shop, or your neighbor when they are done with it. Bonus: the shredded newspaper is awesome for your vermicompost! Don’t forget to use plastic-free tape when wrapping!
Cloth Bags
I like to give reusable bags as gifts so, with this option, the wrapping is part of the gift! My favorite bags are organic cotton drawstring bags which I use for pretty much everything. They are extremely practical and after the holidays, they can be used for produce, bulk items, snacks, and anything else you can think of. Need a bigger bag? Try a reusable canvas tote!
Reused Christmas Wrapping
My family reuses Christmas gift wrap year after year. This practice was commonplace in my mom’s family when she was growing up so naturally, she did the same with her family. There are even certain gift bags that have been passed around the family each Christmas for as long as I can remember!
A couple tips to make this work:
Use bags more than wrapping paper. Bags don’t need to be torn to open them and you can reuse the ribbon and tissue paper year after year as well.
Don’t tear the wrapping paper. It sounds hard to do but when we were kids we knew that the wrapping paper would be reused so we shouldn’t tear it. Using minimal tape and unwrapping presents one by one (for kids) helps!
Take time to put away and store. We store wrapping paper, bags, tissue paper, ribbon, etc. in the same plastic tub year after year. Just fold everything up after opening gifts and you’ll have it ready to go for next season.
Your holiday doesn’t have to be as wasteful as usual this year. You can still have beautiful festive gift wrapping without the waste!
Are you ready to try out these ideas and reduce your environmental impact this season? Are you already using eco-friendly gift wrapping this year? If so, share a photo and tag @sustainablissity on Instagram so I can check it out!