Many of us don't think twice about picking up a few rolls of sparkly wrapping paper in the run up to Christmas, but we probably should.
Brits bin the equivalent of 108 million rolls of the stuff every year, according to a 2017 study, with one in eight admitting they don't bother to try and justify the huge amount of waste they produce.
And recycling wrapping paper is problematic in a number of ways too. It often contains non-recyclable plastics and glitter, or the remains of sticky tape - which means it is pretty likely to end up as landfill.
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Luckily, it's possible to have an eco-friendly Christmas and to give beautifully (or hastily) wrapped presents without causing harm to the environment.
Recycled brown paper
Recycled brown paper not only looks good when tied with string, it's also fairly economical too. You can get hold of a 12m roll from WH Smiths for £3.99, or you can get 10m (£4) and 25m (£7.50) recycled paper rolls from Eco-craft.co.uk too, which is also made in the UK.
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Amazon also sells a 25m roll of brown recycled paper for £7.45 or if you have a lot of presents to wrap, you can bulk buy large quantities of biodegradable paper from Packability.co.uk.
Recycled wrapping paper
If you are set on using more traditional wrapping paper, you can find gift wrap that has been recycled or is recyclable.
We love this Recycled Mint Dotty Gift Wrap by Sophie Victoria Joy, Screen which is printed onto luxury 100% recycled brown paper. It is sold by the sheet on Etsy and is priced at £2.20.
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Also on Etsy is this eco gift wrap, which is printed onto thick 100% recycled paper and printed with soya based inks. Three sheets costs around £7 and you can choose from lots of different designs, including a French bulldog in a santa hat print.
You can pick up a 5m roll of penguin-printed wrapping paper from Paperchase for £5, which is made from recycled materials and is easily recyclable too.
Reuse fabric
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If you've got any prettily patterned old fabric lying around, repurpose it to wrap your Christmas presents. You can tie the fabric with string, or use knots to create a rustic look. You can also buy reusable cotton gift wrap from Etsy too. This one from HappyWrap might not be cheap at £10 for one wrap, but the festive Scandi reindeer print is very cute.
Old newspaper
Old newspapers or magazines can make excellent wrapping paper - as long as the content is appropriate. Just make sure you double check the headlines before handing over your presents to avoid any family catastrophes.
Decorations
It's easy to cut up old Christmas cards and turn them into tags for presents, you just need scissors and either cotton or string. If you're stuck for time, try these recycled gift tags from Not On The High Street, priced from £1.80 for three.Featured Image Credit: Pexels