This holiday season many of us are trying to reduce our Christmas footprint by seeking out conscientious gifts for loved ones, decorating with eco-friendly items and by reducing the waste in gift wrapping! There are many ways to reduce your wrapping waste and you don’t have to be an expert wrapper to do it.
Reusable bags
One of the best ways to reduce waste when wrapping presents is to use reusable gift bags. Clothe bags can be used season after season to wrap your carefully selected gifts. You can hit the thrift store and find a used Christmas sweater or upcycle old drapes or table clothes and try your hand at sewing some simple bags. Even if you’re new to sewing making bags is simple; just cut to your desired size and sew three sides closed. Then use a string or twine to tie off the open end!
Recyclable paper
For those like me who love to wrap gifts, but don’t love the waste of all the wrapping paper that ends up in the landfill, use recyclable materials! There are many options for eco-friendly paper. You can re-use newspaper for a unique look or try recyclable Kraft paper. For a truly unique gift try wrapping with burlap. Burlap can be reused and similarly to kraft paper and newspaper, its beautiful minimalism will give the presents around your tree a rustic feel.
Compostable Accents
The other great thing about kraft paper and burlap is their simple brown serves as a blank canvas, that can be decorated in any number of ways. Greenery and foliage are perfect for eco-friendly decorations. A few great options include spruce and fir bows, small cones and leaves. Other natural items you can use could be foraged feathers, cinnamon sticks, and chestnuts/acorns. Or decorate your gift with something consumable like a candy cane! Use twine to tie your natural décor to your present and you are ready to go.
