I was chatting with a friend about eco-friendly gift wrapping and mentioned, “My family has been passing around the same gift bows since the 1990s!” I expected her to be impressed, or at least amused. Instead, she smirked. Her family has been reusing the same holiday wrapping paper for years.
After carefully unwrapping their gifts, my friend’s mom irons the wrapping paper and carefully rolls it up for future use. Friends, I was gobsmacked. Growing up, I thought repurposing whipping cream containers as Tupperware was hardcore, but reusing wrapping paper? That’s next level.
To be clear, I do not recommend ironing your wrapping paper (sounds like a fire hazard), but our moms had the right idea. The most eco-friendly gift wrapping is the kind you can use over and over.
Yes and no.
If you’re careful, wrapping paper can be reused, but only plain wrapping paper can be recycled. If the wrapping paper has foil, glitter, or is laminated (you’ll know it’s laminated if it doesn’t tear easily), it has to go to the landfill. Glossy paper is okay as long as it’s unadorned.
Remember to remove:
In general, tissue paper is not recyclable, because the paper fibers are very short. Even if tissue paper is labeled as recyclable, it’s important to confirm your local municipality will accept it.
Aspirational recycling, aka wishcycling, continues to be a problem. Putting non-recyclable items in the recycle bin can gum up machinery or spoil entire batches of otherwise recyclable items. It may feel wrong to throw something away, but sometimes it’s the right thing to do.
Below are a few environmentally friendly ways to wrap your gifts. Some of the links go to Amazon.com. If you purchase one of the featured products listed below, any Amazon Associates revenue earned from that item will be donated to the PADI AWARE Foundation®.
As more people seek alternatives to single-use wrapping paper, companies are making reusable gift boxes in all different shapes and sizes. Personally, I find boxes with a magnetic lid hold up better long-term, but here are a few different options:
No budget for boxes? Your kitchen has gift containers hiding in plain sight. Coffee, tea and biscuit tins work well — especially if the gift is fragile. They’re sturdy, reusable and easy to dress up with a bit of fabric and ribbon.
Jars (jam, pickles, spaghetti sauce, baby food) are also a good option. Here’s a helpful article about how to clean them out and remove the labels. You can wrap the jar in fabric (see below), glossy magazine pages or wrapping paper that can’t be recycled. Use stickers (I love these celestial marine life stickers) or a bow to cover up the labeling on the lid.
Furoshiki, Japanese gift wrapping fabric, is a reusable alternative to wrapping paper. As this video shows, you can use furoshiki for boxes, wine bottles — just about anything.
Furoshiki comes in a variety of patterns from Japanese-inspired cherry blossoms to doggos. Personally, I like this whale design and the good luck cat maneki-neko. If you don’t want to go the furoshiki route, simply wrap the gift in fabric (tulle, bandanas, a scarf) and tie it with some ribbon.
Anyone can wrap a gift with a drawstring gift bag. They’re also easier to store than big rolls of wrapping paper.