ECO FRIENDLY GIFT WRAPPING

Have you got all your gifts sorted? What are you doing about gift wrap?

In past years, I've reused gift bags and even gift wrap, or used things like magazine pages but this year I did buy some new wrapping paper. We still haven't got everything sorted since the move and I realised I needed some quickly but didn't have time to sort the garage out to find it! So I bought some recyclable paper (and it didnt have the cellophane wrap!!) and have mainly used that.

People think that eco friendly wrapping can be boring or time consuming but there are so many different options and as with everything eco, it doesnt have to be perfect - any small steps are better than none!

So as we approach Christmas (although it applies all year!), I thought I would share some tips about more eco friendly wrapping ideas:

- Reuse what you have - be it gift bags, wrapping paper, brown paper from parcels, magazines, scarves or pillowcases! We have some gift bags that have been doing the round in the family for YEARS.

- And reuse what you have to make wrapping easier or to protect the item. My parents were particular fans of cereal boxes. Or I used tissue paper from a recent online order, that I used to wrap around something that needed a bit more care before wrapping.

- Use kids artwork. It won't be recyclable afterwards if it has crayons, paint or glitter, but if you're going to get crafty or arty with the kids then why not use it for something!

- Do you need to wrap? Last year, we just threw a sheet over one of my son's presents 😁

- Don't use as much. Can you bundle up gifts rather than wrapping each individual item. Yes it's fun to unwrap presents but I think that it can also be overwhelming for some people to have too many to unwrap.

- Cut to size - it's easy to use big rolls, cut a length and use it on all one but think about whether you need it all for one item or whether you can get more than 2 gifts wrapped with it. Eg the small piece in the photo at the top is an end piece that I didnt need for a bigger one and was used to wrap a smaller item.

- Use furoshiki -  check out Furoshiki Wrap Company for more ideas!

- Avoid glitter or foil paper, which can't be recycled.

- If you dont want to reuse paper year on year, what about in one festive period - do you have someone that you're seeing later so can save wrapping theirs with stuff you get over Christmas.

- If recycling, taking off any sellotape. And when wrapping, use recyclable paper tape.

- Buy from small, local, businesses who will often sell in smaller quantity and some of it will be produced locally too. There are many that also consider the materials used, like using 100% recycled FSC accredited paper.

- Check out charity shops or local fb groups for anyone giving away

Added benefit is that many of these ideas also save money - my husband used to use newspapers as he thought gift wrap was a waste of money!! 

What tips do you have for more environmentally friendly wrapping?