How to Reduce Gift Wrap (包装) Waste
Wrapping paper may have "paper" in its name, but that doesn't automatically mean it can be recycled. Try these suggestions for cutting down the amount of wrapping paper you throw away.
Reuse what you have. It's reported that the U.S. produces 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper annually, and 2.3 million pounds of that stays in people's homes, awaiting reuse.
Use different materials. Select basic brown thick paper that can be made up with a bow, ribbons, leaves or markers. Repurpose(改变用途) newspapers, old posters and children's school artworks as wrapping paper. There are lots of other eco-friendly alternatives to wrapping paper that are just delightful and celebratory.
Use baskets fabric, gift boxes or bags, tea towels, and more to contain and display your presents. Learn the Japanese art of wrapping, using beautiful knots(绳结) to fasten colorful, reusable fabrics in attractive ways. This way, you'll have no wrapping paper waste to deal with.
Ask for better paper. Shops store what customers want, and recyclability should be a top priority, so let that be known when you're out shopping. As explained by Simon Ellin, CEO of the Recycling Association in the United Kingdom, "It's a campaign we've been on all year — do you really need to design a non-paper wrapping paper? Make paper with recycling in mind!"
A. Try zero waste.
B. Shop with that in mind, too.
C. You don't have to choose shining paper to decorate a present.
D. In fact, many types of wrapping paper cannot due to their materials.
E. When wrapping paper is extremely thin, it has few good quality fibers for recycling.
F. Wrapping paper can be used many times if care is taken to unwrap it without tearing.
G. Having a mix of recyclable and non-recyclable papers is a real problem for companies.
