Description

4.6 million pounds. That's the amount of disposable gift wrap that's purchased every single year. According to Earth 911, at least half of that ends up in the landfills right away (2018).

Besides the massive amounts of waste, the other problem that gift wrap creates is the extra work for our recycling plant workers. Often times, things that can't be recycled end up in the recycling bin due to wishful thinkers who want to be less wasteful. However, according to Treehugger, this hurts more than it helps. Not only can some of these non-recyclable items clog up the machines that plants use to sort the recycled materials, but sometimes it even causes entire loads of waste to be thrown out because there's too much to sort through (2020).

As we approach the holidays, its so important to know what can and can't be recycled when it comes to all our gift wrapping materials! That's what this EMM episode is dedicated to do - we're sorting through the landfill and the recycling piles (pun intended) AND I'm giving you some super fun and creative ways that you can wrap your gifts this year that are much more eco-friendly than traditional gift wrap!

To view the full show notes, visit my website at https://theheartfelthippie.wordpress.com/emm-11-sustainable-gift-wrapping-ideas/ or read below for a quick recap of my sustainable gift wrap ideas.

1. Use and reuse what you already have.
2. Reuse packaging materials from online orders.
3. Turn paper grocery sacks inside-out for a kraft paper look.
4. Give new life to old newspapers or maps that would normally be discarded.
5. Use your child's artwork.
6. Flip a chip bag inside out for a shiny foil wrapping.
7. Wrap a gift in fabric using the Japanese art of furoshiki.
8. Use thrifted baskets instead of gift bags.
9. Reuse old tote bags instead of gift bags.
10. Buy plain paper products that can be recycled when you need to buy new.
11. Use natural twine or cotton string instead of ribbon.
12. Skip the tape, or use paper tape instead.
13. Skip the name tag stickers - write directly on the package or make your own hang tags from paper and string.
14. Decorate with natural elements, like sprigs from the Christmas tree, instead of bows.

Links from the show:

Furoshiki Tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAFl3iOp5HY

Turtley Eco Paper Tape:

https://www.turtley-eco.com/product-page/paper-tape

Plastic Freedom Paper Tape:

https://plasticfreedom.co.uk/products/plastic-freedom-paper-tape-48mm-x50m

Earth 911 Article:

https://earth911.com/home-garden/holiday-tip-dont-recycle-gift-wrap/

USA Today Article:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/12/20/dont-recycle-bow-sloppy-christmas-recycling-can-send-all-your-efforts-landfill/963415001/

Treehugger Article: