Let's wrap this up!

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and I've started the holiday wrapping!

This Shiny Paper is not recyclable! But totally reusable!

In the policy of keeping Monday light I'm bringing up a previous topic. Wrapping paper, although most has already been mentioned on this topic it is good to note something brought to my attention that I missed. As a reminder you should know that not all wrapping paper is recyclable so if you are concerned about recycling you want to purchase paper that hasn't been overly treated and glossed. Not only is it not likely to be recyclable but consider the amount of toxins that were used in making that same paper. Second and what I missed last week is the fact that once you are tossing the the paper into your blue bags for the curb ensure you've removed all the tape from the paper. It may seem completely annoying but trucks will reject whole bags if they spot one spot of tape.

I have worked as a landlord and I can tell you 100% for certain that my cardboard recycling has gone untouched for a week in the past because tenants hadn't properly disposed of their boxes. As a result it was left for us to correct so the trucks would gather the recycling. If you don't have a huge hate on for your landlord or you just want to make sure your paper is recycled for another purpose, then make that extra effort and snatch the sticky stuff off of it. So check to see if your paper is recyclable and then call your local clean up crew to see if they will accept your wrapping paper. A lot will, provided it's recyclable.

I purchased my wrapping paper last week for a quick and easy $5. However, not all my presents will be wrapped in recyclable paper. WHOA, WHY NOT?! you might be asking. Well it's simple, last year, and years prior, I received gifts wrapped in over glossy, non-recyclable wrapping paper. When I open these presents the paper doesn't always become crazy destroyed. I'm not anal about unwrapping gently mind you. But if it wasn't crazy wrapped in tape the paper is salvageable. Once unwrapped we put all the paper in a big gift bag that I have out every year. While everyone is off playing with their presents I go though this gift bag and fold the salvageable paper into neat folded piles and store them for next season. This is my way of twice loving paper that is just otherwise going to sit in waste for years. It honestly only takes another 5 minutes out of the year and saves the paper from years in trash. Not to mention it stocks me up on paper every year and reduces my wasted cash. I have, this year, wrapped 10 presents in reused wrapping paper. The more I wrap my families gifts in the more I'll have for next year.

Remember, in the U.S. of A. alone an additional 5 million tones of waste is generated from Christmas!! 4 million of those tones are from wrapping paper! Do you know how much paper equates a ton?!

Well, I'm going to go back to wrapping presents with the beast now. Your friend neighborhood hippie mom.