There is no such thing as waste, we are going to show you! Not only the gift choice, but also the wrapping of those presents can be a lot more sustainable. And more fun. And here's the thing: you probably already have most of these materials or you can buy them for next to nothing at a thrift shop. We'll show you: 6 DIY wrapping tips for the holidays and any other festive occasion.
DIY packing tips: packing with waste
We give presents all year round: With birthdays, births, weddings, as thank-yous and, of course, at Christmas and St Nicholas. Great fun, but after that cosy unboxing, there is often a lot of waste left over that is less festive. And did you know that not all that paper can be recycled? Sometimes the wrapping paper has a plastic coating, which means it cannot be put in the paper bin. And all that sticky tape and those ribbons and bows are often made of plastic too. Not so sustainable, in other words. Our point: all that wrapping paper is quite a lot. And it can be done differently. And more fun. We would like to give you some great ideas.
Want to know more about wrapping paper? We sorted all this out for you in this article.
Run! Find original gift paper at the thrift shop!
Most people think of wrapping paper as those big rolls in plastic wrap that you buy at the supermarket or office supply store. There are fine more sustainable choices among them, but you can also look in the thrift store for paper that can be used as wrapping paper. Still following me? How about old booklets with music sheets, a comic book, an old atlas or pieces of wallpaper? Wrap your gift with these, don't use sticky tape but a nice piece of string (maybe the thrift store still has some lying around) et voilà : it doesn't get any better than this. You've just put your own original gift wrap on the market. No one in the world has a gift wrapped like this.
Zero waste wrapping paper from an old music book and an old fairy tale book.
Zero waste wrapping cloths from residues
Another idea: wrap a present with wrapping cloths. Yes, you read correctly: with fabric instead of paper. The Japanese even have a name for it: furoshiki. If you then reuse those cloths for years or pass them on with the gift (with the message that it should be reused endlessly), it's a fantastic sustainable idea. And it looks really cool too! You can buy these wrapping cloths, but of course you can also very conveniently make them yourself from leftover fabrics.
Maybe you still have a cheerful sheet or an old scarf in your closet that you can use for this. Or take a look at the thrift store, where you will find so many cool textiles (especially in the case of pillowcases and sheets). A large peasant handkerchief, tea towel, cloth napkin, a pretty scarf or a hydrophilic nappy can also be used, as long as it is a supple fabric. Various techniques and knots can be found to use the cloths in a special way. In this video you can see a clear and simple example.
Left: furoshiki, or wrapping cloths. Right: a bag of advertising transforms into a fun gift bag in no time.
DIY: paper bags
Sturdy paper bags, you know: of that nice craft paper, are liked by shops to put presents in. We are fans here, because you can reuse these bags very often. As gift wrap, for example. So that's immediately the next DIY wrapping tip. Is there an advertisement on the bag that makes you unhappy? No problem! Then find a nice picture from a magazine or make a drawing and paste it over it. Children can also help with this!
Of course, you can also apply this DIY to shoe boxes, which are also insanely useful gift boxes for second-hand items, such as a collection of LEGO, for example.
Left: using an old pair of jeans to make original packaging for a wine bottle. Top right: a zero waste DIY gift wrapping from a shoe box. Bottom right: a toilet roll is transformed into a cool gift box for small presents.
Reusing toilet rolls into gift wrap
Small gifts can be wrapped nicely in a toilet roll. To do this, fold the roll flat, unfold it again and push it in at the top on both sides. Do the same at the bottom. You can cover the roll with a nice piece of paper from a magazine and wrap a nice piece of string or fabric around it. This is also a nice way to wrap money or a homemade voucher for an experience.
Zero waste wine packaging: a trouser leg
A special beer or a bottle of wine are also popular gifts to give, but pfiew... that wrapping is always a hassle. Instead of buying a gift bag (often plastic-coated), you can easily make a bottle pack from the leg of a pair of jeans. Sew up the cut side, insert the bottle of wine, tie string around it and you're done! For smaller bottles, you could also use a large sock.
DIY wrapping tips: gift tags
To make your presents even more finished, you can attach homemade tags to them. The thicker paper from magazines or food packaging are great for this. Personal tip: Flow magazine also uses thicker paper, perfect for cards too and very colourful.
Decorate your wrapped present further with ribbons and buttons from the thrift shop, with picked flowers or a sprig of greenery from the garden or decorate your parcel with a homemade flower made of fabric. I made the DIY of the flower before and you can find it here here view.
DIY packing tips: just start!
So you see, there are more than enough sustainable ways to wrap your gift. And you really don't need to be an experienced tinkerer to make something beautiful. Let the party begin!
Moreover, we should also remember that the paper industry is very polluting. We often think only of the huge amount of trees that have to be cut down for our roll of wrapping paper. But producing paper also requires fossil fuels and chemicals. Did you know that the paper industry even emits more CO2 than aviation (almost three times as much!) And one sheet of paper (A4) also requires many litres of water (Estimates range from two to thirteen litres).
More sustainable holiday tips from thegreenlist.nl
- This is how St Nicholas finds the best second-hand gifts.
- Nice DIY: Dutch houses made of old cardboard.
- The Christmas tree you can choose more durable.
Source: The Correspondent. Photo credits: Melanie de Oliveira.
