Thank you, Clair Ryan, Recycling Coordinator for Kane County and IFSCC member for this guest blog post. We are better together–especially when reducing waste. If IFSCC members and committee volunteers would like to share information on the IFSCC blog about opportunities (and challenges) in their part of IL, please reach out to illinoiscomposts@gmail.com.
Go for gift bags – For eco-friendliness, sturdy gift bags are better than traditional wrapping paper because they can be reused several times. There are extremely durable gift bags available now, made of canvas and woven plastic similar to reusable shopping bags. There are also beautiful wrapping cloths, inspired by the Japanese practice of furoshiki. A word of caution about fabric items is that they take a lot more resources to manufacture than paper products and need to be used for many years to make up for that. If you or your intended gift recipient is likely to use a fabric item for several years, go for it. One way to make fabric useful, is to choose a dishtowel with a seasonal print or a pretty pillowcase. If you have your doubts about reuse, remember that high quality paper bags work well.
Determine who will store gift wrap for reuse next year and divvy it up. Most gift bags come with a tag that probably can’t be reused. That’s okay – cut the tag and put a new one on next year. If you have damaged bags, they may be compostable or recyclable, but only if they’re predominantly paper without foil and glitter. Handles made from ribbon or other material should be cut off before recycling. Highly adorned bags should go in the trash if they’re too damaged to reuse.
Look for compostable wrapping paper – If you prefer to use wrapping paper, try to favor paper that’s compostable. Repurposed newspaper, maps, or magazine and catalog pages (as long as they aren’t slick or glossy) are free, sustainable, colorful and compostable options. If you’re crafty and have the time, you can use plain white or brown craft paper for your wrapping and create your own pattern with some festive stamps. Plain paper can also be dressed up with biodegradable trimmings like cotton or burlap twine and greenery cut from evergreen plants. The best part is that this plain paper and biodegradable trim can go straight into compost! Commercial printed wrapping paper that is relatively plain – no glitter, no foil – can be recycled.
Thoughtful tags and trimmings – This takes a bit of prior planning, but you can easily make fancy gift tags from greeting cards from years past. This is an especially good use of cards that can’t be recycled due to foil or glitter elements. Simply cut the design out with scissors, use the tip of the scissors or a pin to make a small hole in the top, and thread the hole with a small piece of string or ribbon and you have a tag. Most decorative ribbon used to tie up gifts can’t be recycled due to being made of multiple materials (usually at a minimum metal wire and fabric). However, if you have the patience and room to store it, ribbon can be used multiple times. If a piece of ribbon is badly wrinkled, you can use a clothing or hair iron on its lowest setting to straighten it back out. 