Earth-friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas

Americans produce an extra million tons of trash between Thanksgiving and the New Year; we use and throw out about 38,000 miles of ribbon - that’s enough to tie a bow around the earth! 

But if we all reduce or reuse just two feet  of ribbon, we can reduce what we throw away by half.

Recycle all your Christmas wrapping paper unless it has a metallic finish to it; just fold it like a newspaper and put it in your cart. 

Try these other easy suggestions:

Reduce

• Instead of wrapping paper, wrap a gift in a drawstring bag and attach a re-useable luggage tag.
• Ask children to decorate paper bags, baskets, or fabrics for wrapping gifts.
• Don’t wrap large gifts, just use a bow. You can also hide the gift and give hints as to its location like a treasure hunt.
• Give renewable gift cards or tickets to a play, a concert, or a sporting event as gifts.
• Buy products you use in large sizes rather than individual sizes.
• Organize a “cookie swap” with six of your friends. Each one bakes six dozen cookies, but brings home six different kinds.
• Give a gift of yourself-shovel snow for an elderly person, donate a “baking lesson” or make a candle-lit dinner for your husband or wife.
• Turn off your Christmas lights while you are not home. This is fire safety, too

Reuse

• Wrap the bottom part of a nice box separately from the top. Tie a ribbon around to fasten. Box can be reused from year to year.
• Instead of using paper plates or napkins, use dishes, silverware, and cloth napkins.
• Save large pieces of wrapping paper and bows to be reused next year.
• Drop off styrofoam pellets at a local packing / mailing business. They will be happy to reuse them. It will save you from having to pick them up when trashed.

Information from City of Manassas