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Topics: Christmas, Environment
Jess Hardiman
Topics: Christmas, Environment
A mum has divided opinion online after suggesting a slightly unusual alternative to wrapping paper, in a bid to try and come up with something a little more eco-friendly.
Many people are trying to take steps to reduce waste this Christmas, whether it’s buying more second-hand gifts or taking reusable bags to the supermarket for loose veg to go alongside the turkey.
But one person has come up with an idea that some are saying is simply ‘ridiculous’, having shared a solution to unrecyclable wrapping paper.
As you’ll no doubt know, many types of wrapping paper can’t be recycled, either due to the type of material they’re made from, or because of the glittery, shiny patterns that are sometimes printed on them.
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One woman took to Mumsnet to ask if her suggestion would be okay – having turned to her kitchen cupboards for inspiration.
In the site’s ‘Am I being unreasonable’ forum, the mum asked if it was a bad call to ‘be considering using tin foil as gift wrap’.
She wrote: “I wasn’t aware yesterday that a lot of wrapping paper can’t be recycled and with Christmas coming up I don’t want to use the stuff I’d normally get.
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“The person who told me will be using brown paper and ribbons, which I’ll probably do and have already been saving ideas from Pinterest.
“However, I also wondered about in foil as this can be recycled too and would be more eye catching to my three year old.
“It also means no sellotape required. I’d make it look pretty with gift tags and ribbon.
“So AIBU to use this and not just brown paper?”
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Many people didn’t mince their words when it came to shutting the idea down.
One commented: “Just buy wrapping paper which can be recycled. Presents wrapped in tin foil will look ridiculous.”
Someone else said: “I think it will look like leftovers under the tree, and it tears very easily too.”
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Another chimed in: “My dear mum used to wrap presents in tin foil. We used to tease her mercilessly. She now wraps things properly, in wrapping paper because the tin foil looked s***e.
“We still bring it up, oh look Mum you've wrapped that present in actual wrapping paper.
Please don't use foil.”
Others, meanwhile, weren’t totally against the idea, with some even saying they had done it themselves before.
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One said: “I use tissue paper and string. However we have received a tin foil wrapped gift and it was very imaginatively done and made us laugh.
“It’s probably not as environmental as using paper due to the processing involved to make and then reuse the foil.”
Someone else added: “I'd always have one or two presents wrapped in foil on Christmas morning... because during the Great Christmas Eve Wrap, mum would inevitably run out of paper.
“It'd be for a silly ‘last minute’ present and I'd have to be careful unwrapping it because the foil would need to be rinsed and used for the turkey resting or whatever!
“Just thinking about it now makes me smile.”
A third supporter joked: “It was good enough for Smithy in Gavin and Stacey.”
Someone also suggested opening presents carefully and reusing the paper again in the future.
“Might not work for very small presents, but certainly for larger ones, and I remember some paper being reused for many years,” they wrote.