The season of gifts is upon us and we are all busy thinking of what special treat we can offer our loves ones this year! With all the excitement and busyness of this holiday season we tend to forget how wasteful these gift giving holidays can become when we are going through the motions of choosing, shopping and wrapping. It might be easier to use the shiny designed wrapping paper with plastic tape that is already available at stores and some even wrap the presents up for you. Unfortunately, although convenient this can be very wasteful as these fancy types of wrapping paper and plastic tape aren’t recyclable. Imagine how many of these non recyclable and wasteful materials end up in landfills every holiday, particularly on a pretty global holiday such as Christmas !
So here are some creative alternatives you can choose to implement this holiday. Not only will your presents look more unique and personal, but you're also being respectful and conscious of having a minimal impact on the environment while enjoying the holidays with loved ones.
1. Wrap gifts with brown paper
The issue with the conventional shiny wrapping paper is that more often than not it is dyed, laminated, may contain glitter, all of which are not recyclable. Plain Kraft paper can be composted directly in the recycling bin. Also, it is such a durable material that you can always reuse it, and even decorate with crayons to personalise the gift even more.
2. Newspaper
Using old newspaper or magazine pages is a great way to reuse something that otherwise was serving no use in your home. You can get creative and use old notebook pages, sheet music, a drawing you made if you want to make it even more special.
3. Get creative & repurpose
Think about things you have around the house. We all have uneccesary clutter that can be repurposed for gifting. It not only makes a great unique touch to your gift but also helps declutter your house in the process ;). A good example is old glass jars which you can decorate and make for a beautiful gift wrap for small presents.
Using fabric is also a very popular sustainable gift wrapping solution. Furoshiki is the art of Japanese gift wrapping, which involves using new or old fabrics such as a scarf or a handkerchief. It is a beautifully simple and sustainable gift wrapping method that will make your present definitely stand out!
4. Twine over stickers
One of the main sources of waste when it comes to gift wrapping is plastic from labels and tape ! You can instead use Kraft paper tags and use twine to keep the present together and attach the home made label. Not only is your present now plastic-free, but it also looks a lot more attractive and eye catching.
5. Decorate with Nature
Finally, this goes together with the previous point of using twine instead of labels. How can we make a homemade recyclable, compostable and planet friendly wrap even more purposeful? We can add a personal touch with some natural decorations such as a piece of cinammon with some rosemary, or some sage from your garden, or some lavender sticks that pop. Whatever you have near you will add a personal touch and will show your loved one not only your skills, but the intetion and attention you have given to this special gift.
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