Opening presents is the best, but it often comes with lots of waste, as mounds of wrapping paper, gift bags, and tissue paper pile up. The good news is that you can reuse all of this stuff, saving money and helping the planet in the process.
The scoop
One Reddit user shares how they keep gift paper for future gift giving.
"Every birthday and holiday, I fold and save these (as well as the bags) and reuse them," they say in a post on the ZeroWaste subreddit. "It's helped me save money too!"
Every birthday and holiday, I fold and save these (as well as the bags) and reuse them. It's helped me save money too!
by u/ShelbyEileen in ZeroWaste
It's super easy to reuse gift-giving supplies like wrapping paper, bags, and tissue. All you need is something to store it in — a cardboard box, drawer, or plastic tub are all good options.
How it's helping
Reusing gift supplies is a great way to save time and money. Things like wrapping paper and tissue can be inexpensive, but the savings will add up over time.
Repurposing gift supplies is also a great way to help reduce paper waste, which poses a number of environmental threats.
Each year, Americans go through 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper alone. Unfortunately, many recycling facilities will not bother with most wrapping papers because of the inks and dyes, along with plastic lining the paper.
That means that the majority of wrapping paper and other gift-giving supplies end up in landfills. In fact, paper accounts for 40% of landfill waste. As more and more trash is added to landfills, these facilities require more space to put all the stuff, which can lead to natural areas and wildlife habitats being destroyed for development. What's more, paper waste is often burned in landfills, contributing to air pollution.
Demand for paper is also accelerating deforestation worldwide, with 40% of all traded industrial wood going to paper production.
Reusing your gift supplies will help slash your paper footprint, reducing demand, litter, and landfill waste.
What everyone's saying
The Reddit community loved the tissue paper hack, with many people commenting that they already reuse gift-giving supplies.
"Growing up recycling and rescuing bags has always been a standard practice," one says. "Been exchanging the same handful of bags with family for years lol."Another person adds, "I have a storage tote exactly for this reason. I haven't purchased any gift giving supplies in almost 10 years probably."
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