Climate Team Green Tip:
Most Gift-Wrapping Paper is Bound for the Landfill

Before you buy your Christmas cards and all that wrapping paper, consider also surprising the planet and make this a sustainable and healthier holiday for all. The 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high. Americans spend more than $7 billion on wrapping paper each year Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. An estimated 30 million trees are cut down just to produce gift wrap, and it’s difficult to recycle due to the dyes used. Many wrapping papers, like the ones made with foil or plastic, can’t be recycled at all. The glitter is made from microplastics, so that moment of delight actually ends up killing creatures in the ocean as well as ending up in our own bodies and causing harm. Can we do better this season?

Source:  It’s Officially Time To Ban Gift-Wrapping Paper, by Kate Bratskeir, Huffington Post