Every year over 2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper ends up in landfills. The paper that does end up in recycling facilities is often thrown away because they’re almost impossible to recycle. Did you know that most wrapping paper is coated in plastic? Plus all these holiday papers have added ink, foils, and glitter which means it’s not even worth the energy to try and recycle it. There’s easier and more sustainable ways to wrap your gifts this season!

What CAN’T be recycled?

• Anything with glitter

• Paper lined with plastic

• Paper with foil, velvet, anything else that isn’t paper

• Wrapping paper with tape still stuck on it

• Bows, ribbons, tags (all plastic)

So what CAN we wrap our gifts with?

Kraft Paper

A good trick is that if you crumple it into a ball and it doesn’t bounce back, it’s probably all paper. You can have a lot of fun with this one! Kraft paper is fairly plain so you can draw your own holiday designs. Or get the kids to help by painting a fun creation on some paper! If you’re feeling more adventurous you could even try potato stamping. There’s SO many great ideas when it comes to kraft paper.

Furoshiki

Furoshiki is the art of Japanese fabric wrapping and a great alternative to wrapping paper. You usually use a square piece of fabric but this could be altered to use something else like a scarf, kitchen towel, a sweater, or something else that can be useful around the house.

Newspaper / Recycled Paper

Why not use a newspaper to wrap your gifts? The comic section is always a fun one! Or any other paper you have lying around the house that can be recycled. What about an old map? It’s just going to get torn off anyways so why waste money on buying something new, right?

Totes / Gift Bags

If you wrap your gift in a cute tote bag or some other kind of bag , then it’s like 2 gifts in one! Ever Present Giving sells fabric bag starter packs and lots of other gift bag options. Tokki also makes reuseable gift bags, if you’re in the US, with QR code so that you can write or record a cute message. Isn’t that a great idea?

Paper Bows

Make your own bow using an old shopping bag! Or use some old comics from the newspaper. Whatever you choose, it’s a fun day project to do with the kids!

100% Paper Products

If you’re not a DIYer don’t worry! A lot of new companies are popping up with 100% recyclable and compostable papers. Wrappily makes fun prints on double sided newsprint. Etsy is also a great place to look for recycle wrapping paper. There’s TONS of small stores on there selling fun papers!

Don’t forget to get yourself some paper tape and ribbons to really finish off your recycled look! The environment will thank you for it later. Happy gifting