I really love a beautifully wrapped gift. When I was a teenager, I staffed the wrapping station of a store and got really good at it. I am talking crisp corners, no air pockets, seamlessly tied bows and curls, minimal tape. My scissor skills are still sharp!
I also love watching people unwrap a little something just for them… While kids rip through the wrap without a care, I’ve noticed most adults take their time. Treasuring the unwrap, extending the moment before they know what lies beneath, and then the gift reveal. Even for the smallest, silliest item–there’s a little magic there. Clearly, I’m not alone. In America, gift wrap is a $7 billion enterprise annually.
So it pains me to be the Grinch about paper use. But OhMyGoodness! The paper waste that goes into wrapping! Back then I didn’t know.
Now, I just can’t do it anymore. Maybe it would be justifiable if it were all recyclable, but like all other paper waste, some wrapping paper is contaminated with things that shouldn’t be recycled, like harmful BPA and other chemicals that get introduced through the recycling process. Some wrappings are made from nonrecyclable materials, including plastics. And through the contamination (plastic ribbons, glitter, and/or have metallic or shiny finish) of the recycling process, this can result in scores of paper needlessly getting ejected and sent to landfill.
It was reported that 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper is made in the US each year and half of it (that’s 2.3 million pounds!) ends up in landfill. No matter how you calculate it, that’s a lot of paper going to the trash.
So what can we do to keep the magic without the waste? Turns out we can do a lot.
It may seem like a drop in the bucket given the billions of pounds of trash we produce annually, but everything we do to cut down on waste and reject toxic materials supports a more sustainable economy. And the reduced waste helps the planet and our health.
The basics on safer gift wrap are simple:
- Reuse whatever you can
- Recycle plain paper gift wraps and boxes
- Reuse bows and bags
- Toss plastic twine, metallic papers, ribbons that can’t be re-used
- Buy plain paper gift wrap, kraft paper, or tissue paper (it can still have designs on it, just not a coating)
- Opt for vegetable or natural dyes and organic papers where possible
- Use natural twine and cloth ribbons
- Get creative with recycled materials, giving second life to newsprint or magazine paper
- Avoid metallic, glitter, or plastic wrapping materials
- You can find more tips on how to recycle gift wrap here and also here.
Tell EPA: Protect Our Communities From Plastics Incineration Pollution