By Christine Campanella (Blue Ocean Society Volunteer)
The holiday season is finally upon us! A time for Yankee swaps, secret Santa, and ugly sweater holiday parties. Whether you’re able to celebrate in person or have virtual zoom parties, gift-giving will be the one constant this season.
Instead of filling up landfills with non-recyclable plastic tapes, ribbons, glittery bows, and wrapping paper, why not wrap gifts the eco-friendly way? It is mind-boggling to think that if every family in the United States reused just two feet of ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around our entire planet!
There are so many different ways to wrap gifts that don’t involve wrapping paper, so you are reducing your waste and can tap into your creative side! An old newspaper is an excellent alternative to gift wrap; you can use the comic section for kids’ gifts. You can also repurpose festive magazine pages for smaller gifts. Leftover fabric, sheets, or t-shirts make for fun cloth wraps. You can even wrap gifts in reusable bags or nice dish towels.
I made a gift bag out of packaging paper and twine and secured it with paper tape. I snipped some lovely greens, a pinecone, and winter berries from my backyard and attached them to the bag. You could also use dried fruit, such as citrus or apples, to decorate gift bags; they look nice and are compostable. Beautiful and festive!
As for the gifts, I decided to go with my favorite theme, spreading awareness of living with less plastic in our daily lives. I purchased a few things; a bamboo toothbrush, a silicone baggie, a mini reusable paper towel, and some items I already had; toothpaste tabs, a few reusable cotton facial rounds, dishwasher pods, and bamboo band-aids.
This year has been a challenging year for most of us. I wanted to give a gift of health, not only for the person receiving the present but a gift of health for our planet. I wish everyone a safe, healthy, and festive holiday season!
Source: https://lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-holiday-waste-prevention
