How to Responsibly Dispose of Gift Wrapping

As you celebrate the holiday season, here are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind when it comes to responsibly disposing of gift wrapping.

• Wrapping Paper: Let’s start first with the trickiest of holiday wrapping materials – wrapping paper – and the type of paper determines if it can be recycled or not. Plain paper? Recycle that bad boy! But any paper that has glitter, is coated with plastic or other non-paper decorations, unfortunately needs to be thrown away. If you can, preserve any paper that’s been opened nicely to reuse – including that brown paper packaging in boxes – and save it a trip to the landfill!
• Gift Bags: Just like wrapping paper, if your gift bags are coated with any non-paper materials, they cannot be recycled; however, plain paper bags can be, but be sure to check if those paper bags’ handles are non-paper, as they’ll need to be removed before recycling. Better yet, keep all of your gift bags that are in good condition to re-gift next holiday, aka my preferred wrapping technique 😉
• Bows and Ribbons: Most bows and ribbons cannot be recycled because they are mainly made from mixed materials. Instead, reuse those gorgeous decorations over and over again! Keep them safely stored, so they stay in good condition and are ready for the next package to adorn.

For me, gift wrapping can fall into a progress not perfection category, as I love reusing whatever gift bags and ribbons/bows I have on-hand but try – and sometimes fair well or fail – when it comes to wrapping paper.

Gift wrapping is the perfect example of the more you know and trying to do better when shopping for materials going forward!