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Home » Green life

5 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Gift Wrap

How many times have I gone to the store and purchased gift wrap, tissue paper or a gift bag? Too many to count. How many times have I watched the person I am gifting tear into said paper...pull out the gift...and discard the gift wrap, tissue paper or gift bag. Be sure to check out all of our amazing Green Living Ideas for Families. family eco-challenge gift wrap

While I do recycle and reuse whatever gift wrap we receive...I can't help but feel like I am throwing my money directly into the recycling bin. Gift wrap is a single-use item. Single-use items are exactly the sort of things we are trying to eliminate during the course of our Family Eco-Challenge. According to the B.C. Recycling Council about 545,000 tonnes of gift wrapping and shopping bag waste is generated in Canada each year. While a lot of gift wrap is recyclable...not all gift wrap is recyclable. Wraps that are made with plastics and wires are not recyclable. The same goes for gift bags and tissue. The reality is that a lot of the time gift wrap simply doesn't make it to the recycling bin, it ends up in the garbage and goes to the landfill.  So, I say "gift wrap, be gone!" gift wrap

It's not going to be easy, I am such a sucker for the beautiful designs, colours and texture of wrapping paper. In fact, I had already made this promise to myself before the Christmas holidays...and then I went out and bought 2 new rolls of holiday wrap. 2 more rolls! So, today I am standing here (sitting at the keyboard) and promising to not purchase any new gift wrap, tissue paper or gift bags this year. I will use what we already own and I will reuse whatever we receive. Once our in house supply is empty I will get creative and make my own reusable gift bags. Here are a few creative, eco-friendly and beautiful ways to wrap a gift.

eco-friendly gift wrap ideas Make your own reusable fabric gift wrap with this tutorial from Unruly Things.
City Hippie Farm Girl used old maps to wrap gifts.
A great use for kids' artwork...gift wrap...via Martha Stewart.
My favourite is using old newspaper as gift wrap, like Best Family Traditions
Reuse a mason jar, a coffee tin, cookie tin or whatever container you have around your home

You guys are going to have to hold me to this one. If you see me in the stationery shop with gift wrap in my hand, remove it from my hand...in a nice way. Gift wrap, be gone!

family eco-challenge button


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About Jen

Jen Farr is a mother living in Toronto, Canada. She has been sharing her DIY crafts, recipes, activities and parenting advice for over 15 years on her blog Kitchen Counter Chronicle. Jen is the mom of 2 lovely daughters. She believes in the power of taking small steps that can make big impacts on the world.

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Hi, I'm Jen!

I’m the creative mind behind Kitchen Counter Chronicle. I’ve been making and sharing activities, crafts, and recipes for 10+ years.

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