WHAT: This month’s challenge is not to use wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons and bows during the month of December. Did you you know, with each Christmas season in Canada 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper and gift bags are thrown out each year. Just think, that’s 540,000 tonnes of garbage being put into our landfills. Another way to look at it would be that it takes 17 trees to make one tonne of wrapping paper. We need to cut down millions of trees to supply this amount of paper. Ribbons and bows are just as harmful to the environment. They are also not recyclable, which means more garbage. Ribbons and bows are each made out of metals and different plastics, as well as wrapping paper and gift bags. It takes plastic 10 - 1000 years to fully decompose. That is almost 12 times the average lifespan of a Canadian. All of this plastic wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons and bows are going to have an impact on future generations. From 2010 - 2025 the amount of plastic waste will increase by 20 times. WHY: Imagine 100,000 elephants. Cute right?! But imagine there are 100,000 elephants again. This time with the same shape and size, but instead covered in wrapping paper. In the year 2017, Global News reported about the quantity of wrapping paper Canadians sent to the dump. The answer was 100,000 tonnes. Yep! Us humans usually think that since it’s called wrapping paper, it’s recyclable. Unfortunately this is incorrect. This common product used to made of nothing bad. But today’s wrapping paper has many other components mixed in. It is often dyed, laminated, and/or contains glitter foil and plastics all of which is practically impossible to recycle. Great. Looks like we have another trip to the landfill. All too often these are the only options to dispose of the waste. This means that approximately 50,000 trees are used to make 8,250,000kg of wrapping paper used at Christmas (in the UK). Yet it’s funny, we only use it once, throw it out, then it’s gone (to the landfill). Most of us probably don’t even think about where it’s going. So all of these trees and overfilled landfills (especially at Christmas time) are just there and keep damaging our environment. All to have some dyed plastic to wrap our gifts. So instead of jamming your recycling bins with wrapping paper and ribbons, this month we challenge you to think it through and find solutions (don’t worry we are here to help). SOLUTIONS: Instead of using wrapping paper, why not try using pretty brown paper with a flower or a string tied around it (not ribbon though because that is not recyclable.) Also if you do use brown paper and write something on it like ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’, the paper that you use with that pen ink on it CAN be recycled. So why not just use cute brown paper and write a special message on it. Also if you can’t be bothered to wrap it, how about you put in it a little paper bag with a fresh flower or a card stuck to it. Because those gift bags with that shiny tint to them have a plastic layer on them, so if you do use a bag to put your gifts in, make sure it is only paper and that it can be recycled. Surely sweet brown paper with a meaningful message on it is way more personal and crafty then using every year wrapping paper with Santa on it! But one more thing that is normally not recyclable but now can be is sticky tape, you can go to our website to learn how to dispose soft plastic and this problematic material. So like I said before how about you tie a small string around it to close it together and for it not to become undone. But! If you want to get really creative how about you use Christmas coloured fabric to wrap your presents with and tie it all together with a string. Another idea is that you could get your kids/siblings/parents/etc to draw/write something on your brown paper just to make it a lot more personal and special. That’s if you want to get really crafty though. So this month we challenge you to try some of these innovative ideas, and are confident you will have the most sustainable and stylish tree yet. Let’s make this holiday season be filled with even more love by caring for the earth, animals and each other in the most sustainable way.
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