When you’re trying to reduce waste and live a more sustainable life, there’s nothing more dismaying than filling garbage bags with discarded wrapping paper at the end of Christmas festivities. Today’s post has 10 low-waste gift wrap ideas to reduce the impact of your holiday celebrations.

This post was originally published in December 2019 as “10 gift-wrap ideas … that don’t feed the landfill”

With just ten days to go until the big day, early shoppers like me are ready to just relax and enjoy the season. Oh wait…there’s still one big chore to do before I can sit back and watch Christmas movies. Wrapping!

Some people love to wrap gifts

Do you enjoy wrapping gifts? Some people do.

When I think of wrapping, I always recall the first job I had when I entered the workforce. The company’s receptionist wrapped the gifts from management to all the staff. I used to cover the reception desk while she’d disappear into the boardroom for hours on end. That task was the highlight of her year. She put so much care and attention into the job and the wrapping was a beautiful work of art. It was almost a shame to open the gifts.

But I’m a procrasti-wrapper

Wrapping is my least favourite part of Christmas giving. Some people are very organized and wrap gifts as they buy them. I am not that person!

When I shop, I bring everything home and throw it in the closet in the basement, putting off the wrapping ordeal for as long as possible.

But eventually, I must tackle the wrapping. In an attempt to make the chore less painful, I pour myself a glass (or two) of wine, put on some Christmas music, and try to convince myself that it’s actually fun. The wine helps.

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Searching for low-waste gift wrap ideas

Maybe the reason wrapping is so painful is that, in the back of my mind, I know all where all that pretty paper ends up. Naively, I used to think the paper was recyclable. One year, I carefully folded the wrapping paper and put it out for recycling. Seeing the garbage collectors toss it aside made me sad. It turns out all that glitter, tape and foil means there’s only one final destination for wrapping paper… landfill. (Visit our Waterloo Region Waste Management site for more tips on how to reduce the impact of your holiday celebrations.)

Over the years, I’ve started to look for creative ways to wrap gifts without generating so much waste. I was pleasantly surprised that even the dollar store has a good selection of pretty, plastic-free, reusable gift containers. Not only are these easier on the environment, but they actually make the arduous task of wrapping gifts easier and less time-consuming. I’m all in!

Reusable gift boxes and containers can also be fun. Years ago, a friend gave someone a gift in a box shaped like a toy soldier. We passed that box around our circle of friends for years. Every year it was entertaining to see who would get the box and what would be inside.

10 low-waste gift wrap ideas

Here are 10 creative gift wrap ideas to consider.

1. Scraps of fabric. If you’re a sewer or crafter, save scraps of fabric and use them for wrapping.
2. Gifts used as wrapping. Things like scarves, tea towels or cloth napkins are handy gifts that you can use to wrap other items.
3. Newspaper or brown paper. This works for gifts where you don’t have a reusable container that works. Just be sure to use paper tape, string or cloth ribbon instead of plastic tape.
4. Reusable paper gift bags. It has been many years since I’ve bought new gift bags. We’ve been reusing the same ones for years.
5. Cloth gift bags. Felt and cloth gift bags are an excellent option for wine bottles and also large, bulky gifts.
6. Tins. Decorative tins work well for home-baked goodies. As a bonus, they can be reused pretty much forever.
7. Glass jars. Similar to tins, glass jars work for cookies, candies and other treats. Make them look festive with some fabric ribbon and a pretty tag made from old Christmas cards.
8. Brown paper bags. Save your brown paper bags throughout the year for wrapping. Use old Christmas cards to add a touch of colour.
9. Decorative reusable boxes. These come in all sizes and make wrapping so much faster! You can even save money by keeping shoe boxes and shipping boxes.
10. Wicker baskets. Finally, wicker baskets are a practical item that your recipient can use year-round. Baskets work well if you’re giving a selection of smaller items.

If you’re still shopping and looking for low-waste gift ideas, check out these posts for some inspiration:

• 20 low waste stocking stuffers
• 10 thoughtful teacher gifts that are kind to the Earth

With all these options, it has been years since I’ve bought a roll of wrapping paper. My husband is even slowly getting on board and has been wrapping some of my Christmas gifts in newspaper.

Once the wrapping is done, I’ll take my wine and sit by the fire and watch my favourite Christmas movies. And, I can feel good knowing that we won’t be send big bags of wrapping paper to the curb on Boxing Day.

Do you have other ideas for low waste gift wrapping? Tell us about them below.