Christmas is an exciting time of the year, a busy one and definitely one that sees spending on a rise. We all love gifting and receiving, and it’s very easy to fall into the trap of creating a lot of waste during this season!
One place that yields a lot of waste is gifts and wrapping, and I will concentrate on wrapping for the purpose of this blog.
Did you know that a lot of the wrapping paper, bags, and other materials are not even recyclable and can contaminate the rest of the recyclable materials? Anything that contains metals, shine, shimmers and so on is not recyclable.
It’s been a few years now that I’ve opted for more sustainable wrapping. Not only do I know that they can be recycled, and repurposed in some cases, but they are also very pretty and can turn into a fun and creative activity.
So, here are my top things to look out for, and some wrapping ideas!
REPURPOSE
I tend to keep delivery boxes, gift bags and paper I receive throughout the year and that I know I can reuse. This is the perfect occasion to repurpose and avoid spending and increasing waste during the holidays.
CHOOSE YOUR MATERIALS
If you don’t have anything you’ve repurposed, or not enough, pick wrapping that is recyclable, and even better, made from recycled materials. brown paper is usually a great option, recycled white paper, scarves, napkins are all base materials for wrapping that can be reused or recycled easily.
Then, to decorate your gifts, think of ribbons make of material, twine, cotton or hemp threads. Think dried oranges, natural elements such as pine cones, wooden tags, fir or cedar, eucalyptus and so on.
HAVE FUN
When you choose such materials fro your wrapping, you start from a black Canva and you’re able to get creative, personalize and add your own special touch for every person!
Here’s a few examples of what I’ve done this year for wrapping my gifts.
As always, add your suggestions below and happy wrapping!
Lara x