As the holidays approach, even if you’re avoiding holiday shopping like the Black Plague, chances are that you’ll be exchanging gifts somewhere along the line. You may opt for non-material gifts like donations to organizations. You may decide just to do cards (and we’ve got eco-friendly alternatives for those as well). But there’s no shame in wanting to embrace the holiday festivities and “go for it” with gifts. However let’s be honest – there is a little bit of shame in going out and loading up on wrapping paper when there are so many wonderful eco-friendly alternatives. What are those, you may ask? We’ve got some guidelines below – but there are so many more that you can come up with. And we’d love to hear those, too!
It’s Not Just Newspaper That You Can Recycle
Of course, paper grocery bags and newspaper are the old standards for recycled holiday gift wrap. There are plenty of other paper items you can repurpose for wrapping, though! Magazines are a great idea as they’re full of colorful images. Did you accidentally drop a book in the bathtub this year (by which we mean we really hope that if you did you’re still reading some paper books instead of tablet versions!). That can be turned into wrapping paper!
How thick is your stack of printer paper to recycle? Buy some paint, splatter it in color and use it to wrap gifts.
Of course, if you’re using newspapers and magazines, it’s an extra nice touch if you pick out articles or images that in some way relate to your gift recipient. And don’t be afraid to make that recycled paper more artistic with your own craft touches!
Fabric That Won’t Make It to Goodwill
Go take a look in your Goodwill bag right now (we know that most Postconsumers are keeping one as they go along). Now, think about the fact that many of the clothes you donate to places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army really aren’t used in the stores. Is there possibly something better that you could be doing with all that fabric? Sure! You could use them for cleaning rags or you could get crafty. However, if the holidays are here and you have a bunch of Goodwill donation clothing laying around, why not repurpose it for wrapping gifts? You’ll get vibrant colors, you’ll create a new use for fabric, and you’ll even have the ability to make gift bags if you’re feeling uber-crafty.
Even if you’re not using your Goodwill clothing for wrapping, you may want to consider using it to create ribbons instead of buying new-use holiday ribbon packs.
Foliage and Natural Materials
Go natural this holiday! A walk through your backyard, the local park or even just down the street can yield a bundle of items that are perfectly natural for gift wrapping. Tape leaves that have naturally fallen onto repurposed paper. Create gift boxes out of sticks or fallen evergreen branches. Stones can be glued together to create great wrapping solutions that are a gift in and of themselves. There’s no reason you can’t make it happen … naturally.
Turn Kitchen Containers Vintage
While our next tip is (we think) a great idea, you may need to use it next year as it requires a tiny bit of pre-planning. How many jars, cans and even plastic or paper food containers do you get rid of in a year that would actually make great packaging for gifts? The answer, most likely, is a lot! By simply putting these things away throughout the year and then upcycle or re-purpose them to holiday wrapping, you’re doing the planet a favor.
Get Crazy Creative
Don’t let our more conservative suggestions cramp your creative streak though! There’s a whole world of possibilities for upcycled or repurposed wrapping out there. Plastic wrap? Yes! Old roof tiles? Yes! Envelopes from your old bills? Maybe not! But you see where we’re going!
One of our favorites? Save your holiday cards from the year before and then use the fronts as wrapping.
Opt For Eco-Friendly
Of course, it’s always possible that none of these will work for you and you really want to buy wrapping paper and supplies. There’s nothing wrong with that. Being a Postconsumer is about finding your own comfort level. We just ask that if you do opt for store-purchased wrapping supplies, show the planet a tiny bit of love and opt for products made from environmentally friendly sources.
Most importantly, embrace the spirit of gift giving even if you’re not embracing the consumerism of gift giving!
Did we miss a tip about eco-friendly gift wrapping? Share it with us. Comment below or tell us about it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.
Photo Credit: ohsohhappytogether via Flickr
