Whether you love wrapping Christmas presents or find it the most miserable task of the festive season, we can all agree that it’s not the most sustainable of practices. Sure, you can reuse ribbons and bows from year to year, but most of the time, wrapping paper gets ripped to shreds after one use. Plus, you can never be sure if your wrapping paper is recyclable or not – until now, that is, as it turns out there is an easy trick to help you find out.
According to sustainable packaging company GWP, the average household in the UK goes through approximately four rolls of wrapping paper each year, with 83km of it ending up in our landfill sites. And it’s not just wrapping paper: the amount of sticky tape used is estimated at around 40 million rolls, resulting in a roll and a half per household.
Creative organisation Hubbub has just shared an incredible little trick to help you figure out if the wrapping paper you’re using is actually recyclable. The trick was reshared by sustainable designer Lydia Bolton, who’s recently become known for creating garments out of unwanted textiles. Called the “scrunch test”, the trick is to scrunch up your wrapping paper and see if it stays in a ball. If it unravels, that means it can’t be recycled. Pretty simple, right? So that means there’s no excuses!
This year, opt for the scrunch test and choose your rolls carefully, because a little waste goes a long way. For more tips and tricks to stay sustainable this Christmas, keep an eye on Hubbub and Lydia Bolton.
