Tips About Recycling and Reusing Wrapping Paper

Let’s face it. After opening your first few holiday, birthday or baby shower gifts, the wrapping all starts to look the same. With all of the work you put into making your gifts special and unique, why not do the same for your wrapping? A great way to do this is by using environmentally conscious wrapping for your gifts. From paper to fabric, your choices are only limited by your imagination.

Here are some eco-friendly alternatives to traditional, non-recyclable wrapping paper:

• Newspaper - This wrap is easy to come by. You can make your wrapping fun by using colorful comics or photos.
• Magazines – These glossy pages will dazzle the recipient of any gift. You can tape pages together to create sheets for larger presents.
• Sheet Music – Sheet music adds a whimsical element to your presents. The notes to your gift recipient’s favorite song will surely rank your wrapping on their “Top 40″ list.
• Calendars – Since you’re going to toss your “Chihuahuas of 2008″ calendar anyways, why not use it to personalize a present?
• Maps – Maps are fun because you can customize your gift with your favorite places or dream vacations.
• Brown Paper Shopping Bags & Butcher Paper – Beyond being recyclable, this type of paper lends itself to a fun craft for your kids. Use stamps with ink or paint, markers and crayons to let your kids decorate the paper. They’ll have fun, and your gift will be a work of art.
• Tissue Paper – Save tissue from other purchases, such as clothing, to wrap your gifts. You can even play on the sheer nature of tissue by wrapping your gift in a dark color or pattern, then covering it with a lighter solid for a creative, layered look.
• Fabric - If you’re giving a gift that includes fabric, such as sheets or a blanket, why not use it to wrap the present itself? Also, fabric pieces or scraps can be used to make bows or ribbons to decorate your gift. If your recipient is a DIY-er, fabric for their next project makes a great wrap.

By taking advantage of some of these products, you not only reuse materials you may already have around the house, but utilize materials that can be recycled once all of the gifts have been opened.

If you are short on time or the supplies listed above, look for paper made from recycled, organic and/or sustainable materials. You can go even more eco-friendly by purchasing wrapping paper that contains seeds, which you can plant afterwards.

The Flip Side

While unwrapping your gifts, take care to not tear the paper into tiny shreds. Wrapping paper has a host of reuse options, including:

• Lining boxes and envelopes
• Materials for collages
• Making clothes for paper dolls or other toys
• Book covers or scrapbook pages
• Matting for framing photos or artwork

The fun of saving your wrapping paper comes when you give it a second chance at making other objects in your life more useful or beautiful.