In Canada, the annual waste from gift-wrap and shopping bags equals about 545,000 tonnes (Recycling Council of Ontario). As it is, gifts have excess packaging already, so wrapping gifts with more packaging is creating a lot of waste! Check out these 5 tips to make your gift wrapping, eco-friendly, stylish and one of a kind:
Tip #1
One of the easiest ways to find eco-friendly gift wrap is to recycle gift wrap, ribbon and boxes from other gifts. The key to successfully recycling gift wrap is to carefully remove the wrapping paper, avoiding crinkles and tares.
Tip #2
A sheet of newspaper or a page from a magazine can make interesting gift wrap. The key here is to make the gift look well presented. For example, think of wrapping a gift with black and white newspaper and topping it with a recycled bright red bow.
Tip #3
Impress family and friends this holiday season with the traditional Japanese gift–wrapping method furoshiki. Furoshiki are traditional Japanese square cloths which are folded, origami style, into nifty packages. These cloths can be re-used as pocket squares!
Tip #4
Wrapping paper that grows? This wrapping is embedded with annual and perennial wildflower seeds, so once you unwrap your gift, simply save it for the Spring, plant it in your backyard and wait for the flowers to grow!
Tip #5
Lastly, if you do decide to buy wrapping paper, try to look for wrapping paper made specifically from recycled content. Also look for paper and bags that can be recycled.