Every December, when the radio starts playing ?All I Want is You,? I?m overcome by the urge to craft, bake, plan the perfect holiday meal, and decorate the house just so. And despite Mariah Carey?s insistence that she doesn?t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree, it seems imperative to wrap beautiful, Insta-worthy gifts. I know I?m not alone.
It?s easy to get wrapped up in the fantasy of a perfect, magical Christmas and lose sight of the impact the holidays have on the planet. And it?s not just the gifts themselves, but what we wrap them in. Stanford University estimates that the average household in the U.S. produces 25 percent more waste during the holiday period than any other time of year. According to Zero Waste Canada, Canadians throw out 545,000 tonnes of gift wrapping and shopping bags each year. ?The idea of buying single-use wrap just to have it ripped and thrown in the garbage on Christmas day is really sad,? says Shellee Ritzman. A policy coordinator with Metro Vancouver, Ritzman leads the Create Memories Not Garbage campaign, which encourages people to reduce their waste over the holiday season.
Ritzman says not all wrapping paper can be recycled, either. The ?shiny, slippery stuff? that is hard to wrap with" It can?t go in the paper recycling, because it?s made with plastic.
?Even wrapping paper that you think would be safe for your curbside recycling might not be,? she says, ?because anything that has glitter, texture or shine can?t go i...