How to Wrap Gifts Without Waste

Birthdays and holidays can be bastions of gifts and incidental waste. Gift wrap is a huge industry. It is sold virtually everywhere, from toy stores to grocers. It's even a core element of elementary school fund-raising. From an environmental perspective, gift wrap is practically a disaster. It is used daily throughout the year and in bulk during many holidays. During the winter, gift wrap migrates from store, to temporary trapping, to the landfill in obscene quantities. Everybody can do something about it, usually without much effort. While recycling may seem so intuitive, it certainly isn't the only way. There are actually many ways to wrap gifts without waste. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fabric
• Paperboard boxes
• Optional: wrapping paper

1. Buy gift bags. They are simple, inexpensive and available in a myriad of sizes and designs. Tuck gifts and cards inside the bag and top with a single sheet of tissue paper. Offer to take care of the bag once the gift has been opened.

2. Purchase plain paperboard boxes. These are available at little cost in craft stores. They come in a multitude of shapes and sizes. Decorate the outsides and place gifts inside. Multiple smaller gifts can be placed inside a single box. A well-designed gift box should appeal to the recipient as a storage box in addition to an attractive package.

3. Wrap gifts with extra gifts. Snuggle boxes inside a fleece throw and tie off with a ribbon. Smaller items can be wrapped with dish towels and cloth napkins while larger items can be hidden under bath sheets and beach towels.

4. Make fabric gift bags. Patterns for fabric gift containers are available in craft and sewing stores and geared toward sewers at all skill levels. Check the clearance tables for huge deals on out of season fabrics.

5. Use sheets of fabric. Purchase inexpensive fabric in various lengths and hem all the sides. Use ribbon or hair bands to tie in place.

Tips & Warnings

• Iron-on hem adhesive creates smooth edges in a hurry without having to sew.
• Host a waste-free holiday. Encourage all guests to find methods of packaging gifts without paper. Award a prize to the most creative wrapping job.
• Paperboard boxes can be decorated with wrapping paper and still be usable. Simply glue gift wrap to the visible parts of the paperboard. Choose a classy wrap that will age well.
• Conversion to waste-free gift trappings does not have to be an all or nothing, immediate transformation. It can be phased in, gradually. Every little bit helps.