Gift bags, wrapping paper, tissue paper, ribbons, bows, greeting cards and other gift giving items can all be reused when packaging gifts for others.
It is estimated that Americans spend more than $12.7 billion on wrapping paper annually and almost all of it is thrown away after one use. 2.3 million pounds ends up in our nation’s landfills. And those are just the statistics for wrapping paper. Gift bags, ribbons, bows and greeting cards also contribute to our overflowing piles of waste.
Gift Bags, Wrapping Paper and Tissue Paper
Use a tote with a lid to store used gift items. This keeps everything organized and in one location. You can also place scotch tape, scissors, pens and markers in the tote so that they are easily accessible when you are packaging a gift.
Fold the gift bags and remove any used tags and place them in the tote, you can organize them by occasion, size and color.
When unwrapping a gift do it carefully so that you don’t damage the wrapping paper. Remove any tape and fold the paper neatly and put it in the tote.
If the paper is crumpled, you can iron it. Lay a towel on an ironing board, place the wrapping paper on the towel and smooth it out. Use a spray bottle of water to very lightly mist the paper. Place a second towel on top of the wrapping paper. Use an iron on the lowest setting and iron over the top towel. This will remove any wrinkles so that you can fold the paper and use it again. If you don’t have an iron, you can place the paper between two towels and cover with something heavy like books or boxes to smooth out the wrinkles.
Tissue paper can also be used again and treated the same as wrapping paper to remove any wrinkles. Fold it neatly and organize it by color.
Bows & Ribbon
Bows and ribbon can be used again. Straighten out the ribbon and roll it up to store it. Bows can be attached to a new gift using scotch tape or glue.
Greeting Cards
You can reuse greeting cards in several ways. If someone just signs their name to the card you can cover it with a label or sticker and reuse the card.
You can also cut off the front of the card and use it as a postcard. Write a nice note and send it to a friend or relative.
Use the front of the card to create a new, smaller card or use it as a note card.
Cut the front of the card that contains the picture into smaller pieces, punch a hole in each piece and attach a ribbon and use them as gift tags.
Using these items again not only saves money but is also good for the environment.
The Tech Minimalist 