With the holiday season coming up the gift wrap sales are booming.  All is not merry and bright in terms of wrapping paper, however. 

According to Greenpeace, over the holidays our waste volume goes up at least 25%. This is devastating to our environment. Holiday wrapping paper is often coatedd in harmful plastics and made of non-recyclable materials. They are very harmful to our environment in many ways and this holiday season we should work together to stop this. 

Wrapping paper often contains certain chemicals such as chlorine and  formaldehyde that very negatively affect our environment. These chemicals are put in the dyes used to color wrapping paper, and since most wrapping paper is made-up of non-recyclable material it is often dumped in landfills. In these landfills these chemicals can seep into the soil, water, and other organic materials which pollutes our ecosystems.   

In an informal survey, approximately 90% of NPHS families purchase more than 3 rolls of wrapping paper every year. The mass production of wrapping paper also contributes to deforestation. In order to produce gift wrap, we need paper. Paper comes from trees, so we need to cut down trees to make gift wrap. Deforestation is detrimental to our environments because it disturbs the earth’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide and it destroys many animals’ habitats. The manufacturing of gift wrap requires a lot of energy consumption and the use of factories that release greenhouse gases. 

Mr. Klein, the advisor of the Environmental Club at New Providence High School, said: “If we pollute our waterways, that affects all the drinking water which affects the plant life we have. And if we pollute our air, obviously that is really bad for everyone’s health. So it is really all connected, right? If the environment is not healthy, people won’t be healthy.”

Using alternatives for wrapping gifts is a very easy way to decrease the amount of waste we produce and decrease the harm to our environment. We can take an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach by using recyclable wrapping paper or reusing things such as cardboard, maps, magazines, fabric wraps, jars, baskets, scarfs, pillow cases, cloths, etc. We can also be creative and use the things we find outside and in our homes to make DIY gift wraps.

By choosing to use these alternatives we can minimize our negative impact on our environment while continuing to spread joy.