With the holidays in our midst, wrapping paper rolls for all those presents are being purchased and used in tremendous amounts. Here is a guide for the best way to conserve wrapping paper, along with some great alternatives to the store-bought variety.

How to conserve wrapping paper

• When buying wrapping paper, see what materials are found within. Wrapping paper can contain materials or characteristics that make it nonrecyclable: dyes or laminates, non-paper additives, thin paper fibers and carrying tape, to name a few. Try to buy paper that touts its recyclability.
• After presents are opened, find out if your curbside recycling program or a recycling center near you accepts your wrapping paper.
• If nearby recycling options are not available for your wrapping paper, try to conserve until when it may be needed again. If opened carefully, wrapping paper around presents can be conserved to wrap other presents in the future or could possibly be used as part of an art project.

Alternatives to store-bought wrapping paper

• See if there are any cloth bags around the house that can be used as an option for wrapping paper. If kept in good condition, these could be reused multiple times.
• Cut up and use paper grocery bags or old newspapers as wrapping paper. Although the simple appearance of the paper may not first be pleasing to the eye as a wrapping alternative, it could be artistically decorated to make a unique-looking present.
• Simply using boxes (that you can decorate) and a bow can be an easy, eco-friendly alternative to wrapping up the presents with paper, especially if those boxes do not have to travel through the mail.

The alternatives to using store-bought wrapping paper are endless if there are unused options lying around the house. If you prefer store-bought paper anyway, make sure to look for a recyclable type or a kind you can reuse for a later project. If everyone takes a little extra time to do this, tons of paper and trees can be conserved around the country.