Contributed by Carolyn Davis, Green Acton Materials/Plastics Subcommittee
Do you want to save money and help the planet this holiday season by reducing trash? Green Pro Tip: make your own wrapping paper!
Americans spend about $8 billion a year on wrapping paper. Not only is that a lot of money for something that gets ripped apart in seconds, but also, most of that paper ends up in landfills. Some plain paper wrapping can be recycled, but glossy, shiny, laminated, or glittery paper cannot, nor can tissue paper or sticky tape. (Tissue paper cannot be recycled because the paper fibers are too short for reuse in another paper product.)
So: what can you use?
Paper. Look around your home for newspaper, magazines, old paper maps, saved decorative calendar pages, or other reusable paper. During the holiday season, newspapers run special sections that often have good designs for gift wrap. Colorful comic sections are fun for kids, and black & white prints with a colorful bow (recyclable, of course) can look classy.
Fabric. In Japan, people have wrapped gifts in square-shaped decorative fabric (furoshiki) for centuries. Or wrap a present with a beautiful scarf for two gifts in one. Or pick up vintage handkerchiefs or other linens at yard sales, and use them to wrap smaller items.
Grocery bags. Deconstructed brown paper bags provide a rustic look. Add twine and natural elements like holly or a little swish of white pine, small pine cones, a spring of winterberry, cinnamon sticks, or other organic items.
Packing paper. It’s inexpensive, recyclable, and easy for kids to decorate — a great opportunity for the enduring delight of potato printmaking!
If any of that sounds too demanding or time consuming, start small. Pick just one or two or three gifts to wrap in these “greener” ways this season. (We think you’ll soon be hooked!) It’s been estimated that if every family wrapped just three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. (Yikes.)
Check out the examples below for inspiration. Get creative, have fun, and watch the surprised pleasure of your gift recipients at the thoughtfulness of your wrapping! Your loved one, your wallet — and our Earth — will benefit.
