5 Eco Friendly Christmas Wrapping Tips + BONUS suggestion

Christmas is a wonderful, magical time of year. But it's also a time when human's are particularly... wasteful.

We buy so much food that we can't possibly eat and then throw it away without any thought to the process that food has been through before we got it, the resources it has taken and other people who may have needed that food to survive.

We use more power for our heating and our Christmas lights which are so beautiful! They're one of my favourite parts of Christmas. But... They take a lot more than they give.

And then there are the presents, which often come wrapped in plastic but then what do we do? We wrap them in a paper which is also not recyclable. Adding to the mountain of waste we have already created throughout the year.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

Here are 5 super easy tips on creating less waste whilst wrapping your presents, and save you money.

1- Reuse

Let's talk labels. How much money do you spend each year on name tags? And how many packets of them are wrapped in plastic? But also, what do you receive every Christmas and birthday?

Christmas and Birthday cards usually come with lovely designs and writing which you can cut out and turn into labels. Just cut around your favourite section and either bend the corner and stick straight onto the present, or pierce a hole and thread with string.

Another handy item which can be reused is old Christmas paper. Yes, you read correctly. Christmas wrapping is terrible for the environment, and we should stop buying it. But if you have already been given a present wrapped in particularly thick Christmas or Birthday paper, then remove it carefully and reuse it. Then if the next person does the same, this one piece of wrapping paper could be used time and time again until its shreds itself.

On the topic of reusing wrapping, why not the ribbon also? You can buy eco-friendly ribbon made from fabric and cotton. But it's only truly eco friendly if you use it for as long as possible. Like the wrapping before, remove it carefully from your presents and reuse it, telling those you give it to reuse it again.

2- Brown Paper

If you would prefer something new, then why not wrap in brown paper instead of the traditional Christmas wrapping? Brown paper is biodegradable just like normal paper and it can be recycled straight away. You can buy this from any eco shop or from your local post office (though the post office will come wrapped in plastic.)

If this is too bland for you then you could decorate it yourself with your wonderful art skills. Or you can buy brown paper with a variety of print on it from shops such as Waterstones and any eco online shop.

3- Boxes

Hands up. Whose been doing more online shopping recently? Due to Covid, we haven't had a choice. But what does that online shopping leave us with? Boxes. So many boxes. So why not use them?

Some companies are putting effort into their boxes and they can come in a multitude of colours and designs. So why not put aside some of the prettier boxes and use them for Christmas presents. That way, the person receiving the gift not only gets a present but the box it comes in. Which they could use to send on another gift or turn it into something useful.

For example, I turned a cardboard box into a box for my electronics by placing fabric on the inside and glueing thick string around the outside.

If you don't happen to get any pretty boxes, you could decorate plain ones with fabric or drawing your own designs. Or you could buy boxes from any stationary store.

4- Bags

Like the boxes above, since plastic bags have become more taboo and in some areas banned, shops have been putting effort into their paper bags. Why not place some presents in a reusable paper bag? That way your friend receives a gift and a bag that they can use to send on another gift.

5- Fabric

The final tip is to replace wrapping paper with fabric. You can buy fabric at any sowing shop or buy ready-made sheets such as the beautiful fabrics in Lush. They're cut to size and once given, could be used as a headscarf, decoration or reused to wrap other presents.

All of the above are either free or, due to being reusable, will save you money over time and help to save the planet. At some stage, if you continue to gift in this way, and your family and friends take this on board, you may never have to buy fabric, bags or boxes again, as what goes around comes around. You could be sorted for life if everyone takes care of their wrapping.

And finally, the BONUS suggestion, which I realised whilst recording the video for this blog I said all the time. Use eco tape. It doesn't shred your paper and is completely biodegradable.

I hope you found this helpful, if you would like to see this information in video format please head to my YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Robynblond09

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