Gift wrapping alternatives

Another year of birthdays and Christmas, which means a lot of wrapping presents.

A huge amount of waste gets produced on occasions such as these. Wrapping paper gets purchased, it is carefully and beautifully wrapped around the present, and then within seconds, it gets destroyed and biffed in the rubbish bin.

Here are 5 alternatives to making gift wrapping, that little bit more sustainable.

1. Fabric: You can use off-cuts or larger pieces that you or someone else may have lying around. Not only do the gifts look beautiful, but the fabric can also then be re-used again. You can find loads of wrapping ideas online, particularly if you look up Japanese cloth wrapping. Scarves also make for beautiful wrapping.

2. Paper bags: Paper bags are commonly found in supermarkets. Obviously, it is best to have your reusable bag with you at all times, but we know that there are those unexpected trips to the supermarket where the bags are needed (and also through home delivery). The paper bags can be kept and used for present wrapping. Either pop the goods in the bag or remove the handles and wrap the bag around and secure with some string. I don't know about you, but we LOVE the look of a simple brown gift. You could even add a little flower on the top to add some extra cuteness.

3. Tea towel: We love this idea, and the tea towel itself makes for a lovely gift. This works best for smaller items of course. Wrap up the items and secure the tea towel with some ribbon or string. We once made some delicious bread and wrapped them in tea towels for Christmas presents. It was a hit! 

4. Reuse gift paper: I can still remember my mother saving all of the gift paper when I was young. She would collect it all, iron it flat, and store it in the cupboard for the next occasion. I have often saved and reused paper, and recently my daughter came home with a pile of wrapping paper that she collected from a Christmas party. 

5. Kids art: Kids are often drawing, sketching and colouring. Why not use some of these for wrapping presents. It looks neat and adds a lovely personal touch.