By Kristin Hewer, MoveUP Environment Committee member
Did you know that a lot of the shiny paper, glittery bows, and plastic-coated ribbon that adorns gifts each and every year is not recyclable? And that most of it ends up in the landfill?
In Canada, approximately 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper and gift bags are tossed each Christmas season, including 3,000 tonnes of foil, 2.6 billion Christmas cards, and 6 million rolls of tape!
So, what can we do to be more environmentally friendly this holiday season?
There are three simple questions you can ask yourself when wrapping to make sure your materials are sustainable:
- Is it reusable, recyclable, or compostable?
- Does it avoid plastic, glitter, and toxic coatings?
- Can it double as part of the gift (like a scarf, tote bag, or seed paper)?
Some materials that you can use that are more sustainable than shiny, non-recyclable options are:
- Craft paper – use stamps, greenery, cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, or pressed flowers to decorate. It’s recyclable and you can even reuse shipping paper or paper grocery bags.
- Fabric or cloth wrapping – floral scarves, kitchen towels, or linen. Also, Fabric scraps or reusable cloth wrapping.
- Reusable gift bags or boxes. Cloth drawstring bags or recycled gift boxes can be used over and over.
- Do-it-yourself (DIY) alternatives – old maps, sheet music, calendars or kids artwork.
You can add twine, natural ribbons, greenery and adhere with craft tape, starch-based glue, or try your hand at folding and tucking the paper to skip adhesives all together.
If you do buy wrapping paper, skip the paper with glitter, foil or plastic coating as it cannot be recycled and will ultimately end up in the landfill.
This holiday season, every choice we make – big or small – can help protect our planet.
By rethinking how we wrap gifts, we not only reduce waste but also add creativity and meaning to our celebrations.
Sustainable wrapping isn’t about giving up beauty or tradition; it’s about giving with care, both to our loved ones and to the Earth.
Let’s make this year’s gifts shine with thoughtfulness, not glitter.
