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A Recycled Gift - Tips
and Tricks to Environmental Friendly Presents
by J. Lindgren
Every time I have the same
dilemma - what to wrap my presents in that is both environmentally-friendly
AND attractive?
I do not like
seeing those piles of torn wrapping paper heaped on the floor
after present-opening time. These papers were barely used and
are now ready for the trash, and the landfill. One option is
recycling them - but many of these speciality papers are hard
to categorize, with metallic dyes added. Are they actually recyclable?
And would you want them in your compost bin if they are toxic?
What to do?
Here are some
options I have tried and their mixed results:
Buy wrapping paper made specifically from recycled
content. You can feel better buying it, and can probably recycle
or compost it when you are done. Buying wrapping papers from
charity groups involved in saving rainforests will salve your
conscience and is a nice gesture.
Pick
up inexpensive rolls of leftover wrapping paper from Goodwill
or the Salvation Army. When I stopped by Goodwill today, I saw
bins full of 1/2 and 1/4 rolls for less than a dollar each.
Save used wrapping paper this
Memorial Day, birthday, anniversary, wedding, graduation... name
it and reuse it all next year. I did this through-out my twenties.
Now I do not really care to store used paper all year, but it
worked fine for me at the time. The downside: your gifts do not
look very pristine all wrapped up, sitting under the tree, with
the professionally-wrapped stuff from everyone else. My parents
understood my recycling convictions, but still, my gifts looked
'cheaper' than the others. If you can get your whole family to
save and reuse together, this option should work for you. Make
sure everyone opens their gifts carefully - no frantic ripping
allowed!
Make your own gift
wrap from butcher paper, reused brown paper bags, newspaper and
the funny pages. These can look GREAT! Try some raffia twine
bows with the butcher paper and brown bags, for a pleasant, simple,
rustic look. Or get the family together to create your own designs
drawn on the butcher paper - use crayons, markers or mixed media.
Make a stencil from a potato for the brown paper bags. You do
not need bows, and these hand-made offerings are like another
gift all by themselves. Best of all, the paper, bags, and newsprint
can all be recycled or composted.
Buy
a bundle of pretty gift bags from your local dollar store, and
reuse them each year. Tie the handles together with some ribbon
so gift-getters have something to "unwrap". These bags
come in all designs and look very nice under the tree. They are
also a boon for wrapping odd-shaped gifts.
Along the same lines, you can pick up a bunch of
used but pretty baskets from your local Goodwill or thrift store.
Put the gifts in the baskets and presto! Nothing to chuck. Everyone
can use a basket or two in their lives.
Make lovely, reusable gift sacks from cloth material
you have lying around. Fold material in half and sew up one bottom
and the other side. Leave the top open, insert gift, and tie
shut with a ribbon. These sacks can be as simple or extravagant
as your talents/interest allows.
Give
gift certificates this year. Place the certificates in a nice
envelope, clip with hole puncher, add a bit of ribbon and dangle
from the tree. The nice thing about this: there is virtually
no wrapping to deal with (recycle or reuse that envelope), and
the recipient gets a gift they will actually enjoy, since they
get to pick it out.
- Author:
You may visit http://recycling.newsinastronomy.com for
more news and resources about recycling and related.
- Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com
-
- Article Posted:
December 14, 2009
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