Did you know that the amount of wrapping paper estimated to be thrown away in the UK at Christmas could stretch around the equator nine times or to the moon if each sheet was laid end to end (based on WRAP research from 2007)?

The Washington Post states that wrapping paper, from an ecological point of view, is a pretty worthless use of trees. Each year in the United States, 4 million tons go from logs to landfills to make wrapping paper and holiday shopping bags, according to the Clean Air Council, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization.

And about burning it in the fireplace: Don't! Decorative wrapping paper, much of which is made in countries such as China that have looser environmental regulations, can contain lead, synthetic inks, plastic film, chlorine or metal-based foils, which release toxic and carcinogenic compounds into the air when burned. Metallic paper may or may not have a greater environmental footprint than other types, but it's certainly not meant to be inhaled. And children are particularly vulnerable to this indoor pollution!

To top it all off, much gift wrap can’t even be recycled after use, especially if it contains metal foil.

There is even scientific research to support the toxicity of wrapping paper, for instance:

Int J Environ Analytical Chem. 1979;6(4):321-5.

Colored gift wrapping papers as a potential source of toxic metals.

Bertagnolli JF, Katz SA.

Abstract

Sanitary land fills are the alternate to waste incineration in New Jersey. While industrial waste disposal is controlled, few restrictions apply to the disposal of domestic solid waste. Among the materials of concern from domestic sources are colored gift wrapping papers. Cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc were determined in some dozen and a half samples of gift wrapping paper by atomic absorption spectrometry after wet ashing and after simulated leaching. High levels of lead and chromium were found in many of the papers. The leachates showed correspondingly high levels of lead.

And yet here in the UK, the Guardian reports that one of the biggest sources of waste each Christmas is still wrapping paper, with more than 8,000 tonnes being used each year - the equivalent of approximately 50,000 trees.

Can we really afford to continue to be so nonchalant about our use of wrapping paper, and why have we no legislation against this chemical paper?!

You can always re-use your paper, but more importantly, there are many other ways to wrap your presents, for instance, using newspapers, cloth bags, maps, etc. See here for more alternatives.

I decided to wrap my presents in brown paper and decorate with stamps and re-usable ribbons and strings.

And then kept the paper once the presents had been opened on Christmas day, and made a new batch of paper with that!

BB helped prepare the paper pulp and with a deckle we pulled sheets of paper, which we decorated with various natural items and also one sheet with small lego pieces.