No more piles of plastic ribbon and sparkly paper that cannot be recycled. It’s time to start wrapping in a cooler way, one that can be reused or recycled, even after the 5 seconds of fame it has before it is opened. 

Wrapping paper is one of the most common uses when wrapping a gift, it makes it look pretty, it makes opening it more fun, and it comes in cool designs that could match your decor aesthetic or the personality of the person getting the gift. 

The worst part though, the fact that once you rip it off, that 5 seconds it takes, is all it is good for. Wrapping paper needs to become better, more eco-friendly at least. If we aren’t going to reuse it, we might as well be able to recycle it properly. 

There are many options out there that can make gift wrapping more eco-conscious. Like of course the easy reusing of the previous wrapping (if it’s not ripped into shreds!) 

One of the most creative wrappings comes from a brand called Wrappr, Wrappr is a no-waste gift wrap, a women-owned company. They sell fabric wraps that are truly meant to be recycled and reused. This idea came from Furoshiki, a Japanese wrapping design that dated back to the 18th century. With these wraps, you are not only saving the planet from tons of paper waste, but you’re giving someone the ability to participate in the chain of reusing these wrappers for as long as possible. 

Another fun, and aesthetically pleasing way to wrap a gift this holiday season is with burlap or cloth sacks. These are fun ways to add all the presents in one big or a bunch of tiny sacks that can be reused every year. These sacks tend to look great under the tree as they can be customizable to your decor, or they can have your kids’ names on them and come straight from the North Pole. 

The last and probably most creative wrap would be to reuse newspapers. Although this seems like an outdated tradition, many people used newspapers as a way to wrap gifts for many centuries. The aesthetic alone is very rustic and vintage and your taking paper that can be recycled and you’re reusing it. 

So this holiday, start a new tradition, one that saves you money and saves the planet. Find your own creative ways to reuse wrappings or start supporting the brands that created these ideas for you.

There is always time to change your mind, and to start new traditions is always great when they are the ones that will help save the planet and even preserve some history in you and your family’s homes.