To boycott wrapping paper this Christmas ?

[MostlyAmbridgeandcoffee]

It’s terrible for the environment and completely pointless ! Who’s with me? Old newspaper or pretty reusable cloth instead? My little one turned 1 this weekend and the cardboard and wrapping paper rubbish at the end of it all made me feel a bit ill! Does anyone do this already and have any tips ?

Iris1654

You can keep thinking that recycling and not using stuff like that is helping, but you are a tiny fish in a big ocean. Your impact does nothing when a million more people do the exact opposite. How do you change their minds exactly, when they don't want to?

You start at the beginning of the chain, the manufacturer. You stop it getting produced. People can't buy what isn't there.

But just ignoring what is already made? Doesn't help the planet.

I don't think it can be done either way. The manufacturers are too greedy for money. They don't care.

I don't think fuck it, don't bother - but I don't think buying brown paper and ribbon achieve much apart from virtue signalling, when you can buy recyclable, even FSC certified, wrapping paper pretty easily.

I mean - if you're buying a shit ton of presents that need wrapping, that's causing a far bigger problem than what you're wrapping it in. Obviously, if you;re buying a small number of presents and you;re presents are homemade, then that's pretty good and I tip my hat to you.

But a tree with a gazillion brown-paper-and-ribbon wrapped made-in-China toys? No, not especially impressed with your green credentials.

I use plain brown Kraft paper and pretty it up with red and green twine , or ribbons if I have any knocking around

family all overseas so i end up wrapping all of DCs presents. I made some bags from scrap fabric and have reused those for the last few years. I manage to get about 75% of presents in those. Last year we were family abroad and I wrapped presents in those and people kept the bags (!!) which is fine if they reuse them. But I think I'll steal the idea of using patterned scarves to make up some fresh ones this year.

~I've also used old calendar pages, reuse last years christmas cards as gift cards

@CassianAndor OR! Instead of pulling everyone down for the little efforts they make, we can celebrate the small changes. It encourages people to make the bigger changes.

You can get compostable film but I don’t know if you get get it in small quantities.

Like this

www.transpack.co.uk/biodegradable-cellophane-wrap-clear-50m?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5r7rvebm5AIVTsjeCh0UlQ8SEAQYASABEgIHCPD_BwE

Sorry, my last post for was Bluewavescrashing and all doing hampers!

Fuck that. Poundland wrapping paper here.

We use gift bags and reuse them each birthday/xmas

My ILs find it baffling that I reuse bags. Not in a mean way. In a sort of David-Attenborough interest style way.

They gather them up for me at the end of family parties (though I've never asked for them - I just keep my own). "Oh, thecats might use these'. As if they're both impressed but can't work out how I actually manage to do it.

There is surely considerably better and more relevant activism in becoming less of a consumer. Some people think it's by consuming less wrapping paper. I think it's by consuming less stuff to wrap. That's a lot harder to achieve and possibly less noticeable (and a lot less popular) than wrapping your consumables in an old pillowcase or last week's Guardian.

Have you wrapping paper you can re-use?

Ok, just don’t use cotton. There has been a huge increase of people using ‘reusable’ cotton for packaging (how many people actually find use for a small scrap of cotton?) for environmental reasons without realising that it is awful for the environment.

@royalton but unless you are using cut up old clothes that isn’t at all sustainable unless the recipient is going to use the fabric for something (given that most people don’t sew and those that do will probably struggle to find a small piece of fabric useful unless they’re really into quilting, using it for cleaning is a good case scenario). Reusing gift wrap or a newspaper (if you actually read physical newspapers) would be less wanky.

Plain white pillowcases are quite good because,well who can't use an extra pillowcase?

Glass jars with tinsel in can hide things like tickets / vouchers.

Bluewavescrashing

Some sort of voile / net would work as a substitute to cellophane - it won't stand up quite the same

We reuse old wrapping paper and gift bags. Our council won’t let us put any kind of wrapping paper in the recycling grrr..

sashh well I sure as hell don't want a load of plain white pillowcases!

We use newspaper tied up with string which can be reused - it looks quite cool and arty too!

Also reuse wrapping paper from gifts we've been given, particularly where someone has wrapped a big box in something and the paper is perfectly good - such a waste otherwise.

Gift bags are easy - my family tend to just stick things in gift bags and we all re-use them back to each other at whatever gift giving occasions.

Also easier perhaps to stop/cut down on "stuff" presents and do nice experiences instead, like going out for lunch/dinner, or giving an organic veg box/meat box/similar as a gift (so they can order it when suits them).

My family have a fair few gift bags that have gone back and forth a few times between us. I don't have many left at the moment but I always save them if I'm given any.

My DCs enjoy decoupage and in the summer hols they decorated a few small cardboard boxes, that originally came from postal deliveries, with tissue paper that was saved from birthday presents I received. It took them ages to cover the boxes and they did look pretty good. Cost us nothing except pva glue.

We can't put any wrapping paper in our recycling bin, must be a local council thing. So for my own children's presents I'd rather use reusable wrapping eg repurposed fabric or brown paper decorated with sharpies. Ribbon can be reused.

You know that by not buying wrapping paper you aren't saving or even helping the environment right? The effect caused by wrapping paper has already happened.

The paper has already been made, so the energy used to create them has occurred so pollution has been created.

You need to stop manufacturers creating it

@Blueoasis This is the most nonsensical thing I've read in a long time. By this logic, no products would ever be discontinued, which they are, due to lack of sales. No manufacturers would ever alter their production quantities due to supply and demand. Which, clearly, they do. No businesses would ever fold, as they can still keep churning out the same quantities of everything as the amount bought by shoppers would make no difference. No shops/retailers would need to employ buyers to look at what is currently being sold and what to order and in what quantities in future.

We are definitely cutting down on stuff too. Most presents I'm giving have been bought on Facebook marketplace in new condition rather than in shops. Experience presents like tickets for shows, national trust membership etc go down well.

I really want to but I can’t afford plain brown paper, when printed is £0.99 for 2 at home bargains

You need to stop manufacturers creating it

Yes, and you stop them by not buying.

@ToffeePennie the cheaper stuff is usually better actually as it’s generally recyclable. It’s the thick, glittery printed paper, or foil lined etc that can’t be. So you’re still doing good!

Amazon brown packing paper makes a good base paper which you can decorate or use fab ribbons with.
I've always used a mix of reused paper (I'm the compulsive pick up and folding type after gifts have been opened), recycled newspaper/ brown paper / decorative paper saved throughout the year or saved decorated boxes except Father Christmas paper - his gifts if wrapped (some are just put in stocking) are always that cheap thin but not shiny paper that can be recycled always with FC picture on it.