So you’ve got the perfect gift for a family member or friend, but now that it comes time to wrap it, you might be stumped. What’s a good alternative to new gift wrapping paper that has a short lifespan and doesn’t get recycled? Don’t worry–we’ve got you covered when it comes to eco-friendly gift wrapping. Here are 3 zero-waste gift wrap ideas that will help you reduce your waste while upcycling materials in your own recycling bin.
1. Upcycled paper: Why buy more paper when you can easily find it in recycling bins? Using printed paper already gives a neat look to the wrapping, and you don’t have to feel guilty about it getting thrown out to be recycled again. Think broadly: great patterns can come from old books, newspaper, magazine illustrations, sheet music, and more. If you want a blank canvas, aper grocery bags are easy to decorate with crayons, markers, pens, paint, and even fabric or cut-out shapes from more recycled paper.
2. Fabric: Wrapping gifts in fabric scraps or squares is another good way wrap presents, on their own or in boxes. Simply tie them around the object, or glue them to the gift box. Fabric from old sewing projects, or even upcycled clothes, gives a fun and unique texture to gifts, and can help turn something like an old shoe box into a classy-looking gift box. You can also turn fabric wraps into a second gift, with patterned ones making great handkerchiefs or cleaning rags. Spare felt is another great alternative, and can be decorated with fabric markers, glued pieces of ribbon or felt, or even a simple embroidered letter, phrase, or border.
3. Repurposed glass jars: Glass jars are great for small trinkets, or even recipe-in-a-jar gifts. Simply put it inside a glass jar of any size, and decorate the outside with fabric, ribbons, paint, paper, glitter glue, and more. If fragile, you can seal the gift in the jar with newspaper, cotton balls, or felt, to keep it from clinking against the glass.
By repurposing some of your recycling bin finds, you can wrap your gifts with a unique flair, without purchasing new wrapping. So have some happy holidays, without the waste.
These are lovely suggestions! Using recycled and re-purposed materials for wrapping gifts is very clever idea and also a good lesson for my girls. This whole idea our family dedicated to simplifying and minimizing, and this is a good way to keep this line by recycling materials for gift wrapping. Thank you for the great idea!
Thanks, Leah. All the best on greening your holidays!