Give it to children to make collages/christmas cards with.

My grandfather keeps it in a cupboard, and when he comes to use it, he irons it out! It helps the environment, true, but it is quite odd…

Wrap other presents with it, or throw it in the paper bin.

Shread the pretty ones and use it for filler in your other packages. Cut it into strips, wind it around old toilet paper tubes/paper towel tubes filled with candy.

I usually save that for collage material and make cards for the occasions that are depicted on the wrapping.

If it’s a big enough piece then it can make a book cover or be used in bookbinding (end sheet, part of a fancy signature, or a cover if it’s laminated/sealed).

I really like your idea. I am also trying to get people to recycle and reuse. It is very important that we save the world. I think that by doing your ideas we will really save trees-and money. Great Blog!

Use it to make gift tags you don’t need that much at all

Origami, paper mache, hand made papers, wall paper.

Oh yes, and as for the wrapping suggestions: For my niece’s baby shower I wrapped a baby outfit in a baby blanket. For my grade school age grand nieces and nephews instead of wrapping the gift I give the child a (recycled) card with a clue that leads to a card with a clue that leads to … you get the picture. At the end, the present sits there unwrapped and the child has had a fun time getting to it. My friend and I have two special gift bags we exchange each year. I’ve also created stuff-sacks for sleeping bags to use as the gift wrap of something else. I make origami boxes for small gifts and gift baskets for larger gifts and leave some gifts unwrapped but decorated festively. I haven’t actually purchased gift wrap in 30 years!

Keep it in the garage or under the sink. Whenever you need to clean windows, crumpled up wrapping paper (or newspaper) instead of paper towels, it leaves absolutely no streak, you’ll be amazed.

Decoupage it onto shapes cut out of cardboard or wood shapes from the craft store (or anything else you can think of) to make holiday decorations. You can make tree ornaments at christmas, a mobile for a baby, picture frames for any occasion - there are tons of possiblities! Mixing and matching different papers makes it even more interesting.

I had a picture frame with no picture… so used pretty wrap paper as the picture…

also i have wrapped the matte frame of a picture - it turned out rather nicely.

Thanks for mentioning my name for my work used :) Appreciated!

THROW IT THE HELL AWAY YOU FUCKING TREE HUGGERS!!! LET IT THE FUCK GO. THE WORLD HASNT DIED YET. TREES GO BACK. O YEAH MAYBE YOU COULD GO WRAP A TREE WITH IT SINCE YOU GUYS ARE SO OBSESSIVE.

FUCK YOU

CHOP THE TREE DOWN

Chill out on the hatred…

Let me gues… Do you drive an SUV?

You’re just close minded. Is it so hard to believe that humans can ruin the earth? It is because of people like you that I refuse to shut my mouth about the subject. Plus, why are you on this site if you don’t care? Also, I’m really fucking proud to be a treehugger. Obviously you’re not wanted here.

Nikki, you are an idiot. Why bother coming on a recycling website just to write that? Why are you even looking at a recycling site?

What a loser!

Seriously, how would you come across a recycling website by accident..? Strange girl.

I’d never heard that window-cleaning trick before… Anyway, i generally give presents just in a “posh” plastic bag (often the ones i’ve received presents in!), sometimes i tie a ribbon or similar to make it look vaguely presentable. I think depending on the receiver, people aren’t as bothered as we think.

I have to say that the language was over the top but you guys are pretty comical…wrap a frame and frame the paper? Maybe in your trailer house or sub-let but in my house we just go take a picture? I’m actially laughing that anyone would take this much time to write about recycling wrapping paper…ad then someone would spend the time reading it…Oh My God…I read it and I’m answering it….you people are infectious….aggghhhh I’m going to go try to slash my wrists with recycled wrapping paper

I have found that if I can cut it into 6×6 in. squares and stack it in a reused Keenex box and use as toilet tissue, it makes taking a dump so festive. The metalics can be abrasive.

Pretending that toilet paper comment doesn’t exist for a minute, my entire extended family just doesn’t use wrapping paper. We use gift bags, and trade them around every year. Same thing for birthdays, whatever. We all have a stash of old gift bags we just give to someone else and get new old ones back in their place. Some of them are probably as old as I am *lol* No one cares cause everyone does it.

I used to make paper beads out of old wrapping paper or cut strips and make lucky stars.

Dobbys Boss and Nikki: What is wrong with people taking 2 minutes to find ways to make the world better? You are obviously uneducated. Go find a “How Can I Be As Destructive As Possible?” website and let people try to reduce the enormous amount of waste we produce. As for the reusing gift bag idea I think it is a very good one. Not only do you not have to throw away a ton of wrapping paper for every occasion but it can be fun to remember all the gifts that were given in each bag.

This is an idea I have used since my first born’s baby shower. (~12 years)
If the piece of wrapping paper is large enough, I cut it to fit a drawer and use as a liner. My husband and son also enjoy it when I spray their favorite scent onto the paper.
The liners are changed each year.

Another idea is that we give our friends fruit from our father-in-law’s trees (he offers it since he cant eat it all himself)
We wrap these little bundles with the wrapping paper the family just used.
This is an immediate way to reuse it.
Also, your consciousness is contagious. Our family used to snicker when we suggested not throwing out the bag of paper, instead we could reuse it; but now, a brother in law used comic strips with ribbon this year rather than buy another roll of wrapping paper.

Nikki and all you other obscene writers:

Profanity is the only way small minds can express themselves forcefully.

if you’ve got kids about get them to make a large collage and then use pieces of it to make thank you cards or gidt tags for next year

Why do you guys hug trees? Whose going to love the cactus? Go hug a cactus. By the way, when you go get your ID card at the tree hugger ID card store, do you have to turn in your sense of humor as payment?

Hilarious comment. Why are you even posting anything if it doesn’t pertain to the topic?

well…you posted a comment that isn’t on the topic, didn’t you?

More please; I’m in need of a laugh…makes my work day go quicker.

1) Persuade gift recipients to accept used wrapping paper.

2) Persuade gift recipients to accept gifts wrapped in used newspaper.

Browse this web page for more information.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-should-i-consider-when-buying-wrapping-paper.htm

Saving our trees which absorb the carbon dioxide we exhale and support our existence is far, far more important than receiving gifts wrapped in fancy paper. Think about it. It is the thought that counts when you give a gift and if that doesn’t work for you, you could also say that it’s the gift that counts and not what it’s wrapped in.