Ideas for greener wrapping paper
It is no surprise that, on certain dates (Christmas, birthdays, etc.), when gif.webpts flood into homes, an average of 25% more garbage is produced. And that people are increasingly aware of recycling.
A user, last week asked me about eco-friendly alternatives to wrapping paper when reading the article on the environmental impact of paper. Well … "newsprint" was my first reaction. Obviously, there are many other alternatives.
And as we all know, the kings, Santa Claus, the tooth fairy and even that invisible friend, have a lot of imagination and know that sustainable gif.webpt wrapping help the environment.
So let's come up with some ideas of ecological packaging without losing originality and at the end of the article, we see how we should pack gif.webpts …
1.- Fabrics
You can do a lot with a simple fabric to replace the wrapping paper. Think of scarves, handkerchiefs, hand dryers, large napkins, any piece of cloth you have around the house, with a T-shirt or even funny socks.
It will be a eco-friendly wrapping paper that can also be reused, which many of us have at home or at a very low cost if we buy it. If the piece of cloth is big enough, use a furoshiki style knot (the traditional Japanese art that uses cloth as wrapping for gif.webpts and objects) to secure it - even Marie Kondo is doing it!
The furoshiki technique helps us to wrap gif.webpts with fabric in a more original way
With reference to this Japanese technique, it is not that there is too much information in Spanish. But the following image (Which we can expand from HERE) can give us a good idea of the techniques for winding gif.webpts with fabrics:
As a note, in thrift stores there are always cheap pieces of logging and even IKEA has special scarves for sale for this purpose.
2.- Organic cotton bags
Other original proposal to wrap a gif.webpt is to use organic cotton bags. They are similar to the similar plastic bags that we see in supermarkets with fruits and vegetables.
These do not contain polyester or nylon, are not bleached like the typical ones and are biodegradable. In addition, they can be washed, reused many times and do not produce waste.
The organic cotton bags are ecological packaging They are usually bought in a pack, with multiple dimensions and have for a multitude of uses. You can see them from Amazon and they are not expensive at all. Another way of packaging respecting the environment.
As a note, there are also eco-friendly linen or jute bags that you can use for the same purpose and are usually sold at low prices.
3.- Baskets
The baskets are very cheap in thrift stores and very practical. Even new, its price is not excessive and you can reuse it for daily shopping, decoration, etc.
For pakaging there are a thousand shapes: rectangular, square, oval, small, large and a thousand materials, from bamboo, wood, wicker, palm. And we can even decorate or paint them. Due to their simplicity and minimalist appearance, they are perfect to combine with an original gif.webpt for an architect or engineer.
Of course! What we want is to reuse them, nothing goes to waste here. So, if you buy a nice one, then your decoration will thank you.
4.- Ecological wrappers made of beeswax
Although this type of reusable coating is more used in food, we have seen that they have a very careful design and are perfect for wrapping gif.webpts in a more sustainable way and different.
In principle, this type of paper is a combination of: beeswax, tree resin and bio jojoba oil and organic cotton. They are totally reusable, with a thousand uses and a different option to pack a present. We have really liked the designs proposed by BeeCool, a small artisan company located in Zaragoza (Spain).
5.- Reuse the drawings of the little ones in the house
If you have young children, you probably live in an abstract art area. Put some of these original paintings to work by turning them into wrapping paper. Your children will be very proud! And by the way, you don't waste any more paper.
As we probably have a sheet with a drawing. We leave the following video about how to make a gif.webpt bag with a simple paper or DIN A4 sheet:
6.- Cardboard and wood boxes
Of course, recycling the cardboard boxes to pack gif.webpts is a good option, take a good look, you sure have some! From shoe boxes, from an appliance, old filing cabinets, to the Amazon cardboard boxes that are everywhere.
They can be painted, drawn, glued on stickers, decorated with paper flowers, tied, cut out, covered with fabrics or with the children's drawings. In short … you can tune everything you want! And a good place to get ideas of how to decorate a cardboard box for wrapping paper is the Youtube channel of Papelisimo.
If you combine the cardboard box with a string, a wooden clothespin and some remembered paper drawing, you can do wonders!
Remember that all the paper and the boxes that wrap the Christmas gif.webpts must be deposited in the blue container. Thus it will be recycled and become new raw material.
Here, the possibility of using some wooden box as an eco-friendly packaging for a gif.webpt which will also have a double utility in the future. They are obviously expensive, but it is a possibility as a packaging for a special present.
7.- Maps, newspapers, magazines
Another way to regenerate wrapping paper is to use and recycle the paper we have at home; from old newspapers to those magazines that keep piling up in a corner, maps that look great or even those posters and prints that it is time for you to change them. It may not be the most original option, but it is the type of packaging that we all have at home.
At first glance, it may not seem like the most ideal option, but with a little arrangement it will end up being quite an attractive package. Ideally, after packing it, tying it with twine, tape or a decorative ribbon, it is the perfect and quick option.
As a curiosity, the decorative paper comes from a Chinese tradition called Washi Tape.
Also, you can put an ornament with a heart cut out of paper, some green leaves, etc. If you have a newspaper with a foreign language, better! (In Asian, they look great) and the older the newspaper, it also brings its elegant touch.
Packages wrapped with maps or newspapers with letters in other languages look great!
If we have more time, then to draw a geometric shape on the paper and we can even use a wooden clamp to close it. Comic book sections can also make it more fun - imagination to power!
8.- Glass cans and jars
We return to give a second life, be it the one we already have at home or the one we can buy, it will surely be useful later; for the kitchen or to store something. It's a good one alternative to traditional packaging And it will not go directly to the recycling bin to thicken more garbage.
Also here come the metal cans of chocolates and typical Christmas cookies, they are perfect! And also, we can reuse them for the following year with new gif.webpts. And if you get really bored, on YouTube they propose a thousand ways to decorate them.
And if someone asks about the packaging… this year we are going to save more trees than ever!
9.- Recycle plastic or paper bags as wrapping
We all have an empty plastic bag at home, if we turn it over we will see that it is only one color and practically the drawing or logo that it has, we will not see it. From there, it is best to remove the handles and start decorating (It must be said that you have to have dexterity if you want something to be neat)
With paper and cardboard bags it is easier to wrap gif.webpts as they are rigid. As normally the problem comes in that one of the faces of the bag will have information and the logo of the relevant company, what they do is cover that area in some way. An example would be the following video:
Even bags of chips and potatoes, from the inside out, can make a sparkly gif.webpt wrap, even if it's for a small item.
10.- Clay pot
Within the original gif.webpt wrapping ideas, this is a great idea, sustainable and practical. Putting a gif.webpt in a clay pot and decorating it to your liking is an enjoyment. If it comes with a bottom dish to catch the water, put it on top as a temporary lid and tie it with string.
It is an original form of give a present with an ecological packaging and that will surely be useful.
11.- Hide the gif.webpts around the house
Gif.webpts do not always have to be wrapped for Christmas, although by tradition this is the case. It is a waste, although brown kraft paper is easier to recycle than brightly colored wrapping paper.
Gif.webpts can be hidden around the house; in drawers, cabinets, in the kitchen, on mezzanines, etc. And propose a game for children or people to look for them.
Of course, remember to put a tie, at least …
How to wrap a gif.webpt and ideas
Of course, we all know how to pack a gif.webpt, but there is always the most correct technique to make it look good and not waste more paper than necessary.
First we must think that the accessories give a different touch and originality, which we will mainly use; String or ribbon, whether to tie or create a bow, a good marker, a little ecological glue, some leaves and a piece of paper different from the packaging to be able to make a label according to the moment. As tips:
- The ties made with string always look better than those mounted with tape, they are less bulky.
- If you use decorative tape, put only one accessory - label. If you use string you can put up to two.
- If you tie the box, it doesn't need to be centered. The bundle can be a little offset and thus be able to put a drawing or letters.
- At home there are a thousand things to use as a complement. For example, you can tie a box with a sewing tape, use buttons, cut out a piece of fabric with a drawing, etc. You have to put imagination in it!
- Don't use garish colors. The range of pastel and brown colors are a success that exudes elegance.
- It is better to use eco-friendly adhesives and there is a way to make eco-friendly homemade glue from the following video HERE.
We would like to leave the following infographic with the gif.webpt packaging techniques in different shapes: squares, rectangular, round, long, cylinders, spheres etc …
Remember, the main thing remains … enjoy and have fun! With the crafts.
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