I don't really enjoy wrapping things (but I love unwrapping!) so I need to get started before the heap of gifts to be wrapped becomes overwhelming. Pretty paper, a sparkly bow, a bit of ribbon and it will look OK! But that's not good enough. I wasn't happy when I looked at my waste last year. I salvaged what I could and will use what I have but I want to get more creative and less dependent on the plastics.
I buy quite a lot of stuff on line and it all comes "well packaged" so throughout the year I have been salvaging the brown paper and cardboard sleeves sent by A****n and this is a pud wrapped in salvaged brown paper tied with raffia and labelled with card from an A****n sleeve. I've used dried orange slices to decorate it and I've used an adhesive label on the reverse to list the ingredients. This also covers some printing on the card - I'm not giving anyone free advertising!
I shall experiment with eco wrapping this year but that will include any "non eco friendly" stuff which I reuse although I won't be buying any more. Nearer to Christmas I may go outside and collect a few natural bits and pieces to decorate parcels. I've bought some zero plastic tape and ordered some compostable cellophane. I'll let you know how I get on.
Zero waste wrapping takes more time than using the plastic stuff so I'm glad I've started early.
I've done an inventory of the freezer contents so I can eat up the older items. It's good to have space for those delicious leftovers after The Big Day! And it's also good to be able to buy reduced food after Christmas.
I made lots or reusable cloth bags one Christmas and just love them. I also have saved all the Christmas bags the boys seem to package our gifts in.
ReplyDeleteI have lost a few cloth bags over the years and so I will probably be making more in a year or two.
God bless.
I have't seen zero plastic tape. I reuse gift bags every year, too. And I hope the wrapping paper can be recycled. It's more like brown paper.
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty of too much wrapping paper but will reuse bags until the fall apart.
ReplyDeleteI have reused paper from up to 3 years ago, bought recycled/recyclable wrapping paper, used tags saved from last years presents, made "new" tags from last years cards and used paper raffia ribbon. I am a nightmare when the fam are unwrapping. "Careful - don't tear it!" Well, it prolongs the excitement. At least that's what I tell them!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child I remember we all used to open our presents very carefully, peeling off the tape and straightening out the paper before folding it to put away ready for next year. That paper lasted for years and years. How have we become such a throw away society in the space of less than one lifetime. I think it's only good that we're now thinking about wastage and what we can do to prevent it. We sometimes look back at the past through rose tinted glasses but there are definitely some cases where what we did and how we lived were much better than now.
ReplyDeleteI re-use gift tags many times within our family and in recent years I have Christmas themed gift bags and I use those year after year too. No cello tape or gift wrap paper needed. I like your eco-friendly solutions to wrapping gifts.
ReplyDelete