3 Easy & Fun Zero-Waste Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas

sustainablelivingreport | December 19, 2017 | Green & Eco-Friendly Living

Do your part to cut down on packaging waste this year with these simple, thrifty, and fun zero-waste holiday gift wrap ideas…

Who doesn’t love a brightly wrapped gift tied with ribbons and bows? The environment, that’s who…

The holidays produce more packaging waste than most of the rest of the year put together! You can do your part to reduce waste by choosing zero-waste gift wrap options when wrapping up those holiday presents this year.

Reusable wrapping ideas such as pretty decorative cans or boxes can be a great option, and if you’re thrifty, you can even re-use gift wrap from gifts you receive, such as gift bags or tissue paper is still in good condition.

Here are 3 fun and attractive zero-waste holiday gift wrap ideas:

1.) Just Trim It

Giving away wine or some other spirit? Tie a pretty, reusable ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Or dress up any gift with little bunches of greenery, berries, and other natural materials from your yard or local park (bunches of perennial herbs are especially nice and can be used for cooking too). Tie with twine or yarn scraps.

2.) Make The Wrapping A Gift Itself

Package small gifts in glass storage jars. Besides being useful food-storage containers that don’t contain chemicals that leach into food, they make great drinking glasses and flower vases. (I’m partial to wide-mouth canning jars, which cost a buck or two each.) You can also fill small jars with homemade jam or candles as a gift, or place a purchased candle inside a jar with a festive ribbon – the jar will double as a candle holder! Reusable shopping bags, or a scarf pinned shut with a brooch, also make great gift wrappers. It’s even more fun to stick to a theme: Wrap something for the kitchen in a bright dishtowel, wrap a local guidebook in a local road map, or present that new electronic gadget in a protective carrying bag.

3.) Make Your Own

Make colorful, reusable gift boxes out of the shoeboxes, shirt boxes, and other boxes you’ve accumulated over the years. Glue leftover wrapping paper, pages from magazines and newspapers, and other images that match the recipient’s taste onto the box and lid (make sure the box will open without disturbing the paper). And, of course, save wrapping paper and trimmings that come your way this season to use for future gifts and holiday crafts.