Creative Gifts and Wrapping
Go to: Gifts | Wrapping and Packaging
Gifts
Try these gift ideas that are different, enjoyable, and prevent needless waste:
- Buy an electronic book (available on CDs, cassette tapes, or digital formats)
- Buy recycled-content products
- Gift certificates (example: restaurant, retail store) - no wrapping required
- Tickets to sports events, theatrical or musical performances, or movies
- Museum or park memberships
- Restaurant gift certificates
- Cloth napkins
- Mechanical pencils/refillable pens
- Homemade coupon (for dinner, a car wash, handyman service, or babysitting)
- For children: prepare a dress-up box filled with wacky old clothes and jewelry.
- Homemade baked goods in a reusable tin.
- Battery charger (Buy rechargeable batteries when giving an electronic gift)
- Transportation passes (for example, bus, CalTrain or BART)
- Order a compost bin from our website. (RecycleWorks covers part of the costs)
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Make a donation in someone's name to his or her favorite charity.
Some local environmental nonprofits that you may be interested in supporting:
Sustainable San Mateo County
The San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation
Coyote Point Museum
Save the Redwoods
Save Our Shores
Surfrider Foundation
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition - Other creative gift ideas
Make a gift! Make useful and fun gifts from common household items:
RecycleWorks Creative Re-Use
Projects for kids
When old items are replaced by new gifts, don't put them in the trash. Donate old items to your local thrift shop or make sure they are properly recycled. Go to our Reuse and Recycling Center to find out where to take your obsolete items or visit our Re-Use Center.
Packaging
Have fun discovering new ways to make your gift look good without needless waste. Gift decorating is a great way to be creative.
- Creative substitutes for wrapping paper include scarves, tins, baskets, bags, old maps and calendars, used blueprint paper, or just a nice bow. Specifically selected sections of the newspaper also make fun wrapping paper.
- Keep gift boxes and bags that you receive and use them to present a gift to someone else. Wrapping paper and bows can be treated the same way.
- Decorate boxes with magazine cutouts or design your own wrapping paper using paper bags.
- Instead of using plastic ribbon, trim your gifts with dried flowers, pinecones, yarn, twine, shoelaces, paper or fabric ribbons.
- If you do choose to use wrapping paper, look for paper containing recycled content. You can also purchase solid colored paper that can be used for occasions throughout the year and decorated with different bows, stickers, and artwork. Conservatree provides a list of organizations carrying greeting cards and wrapping paper made out of recycled content.
- Did you know packing peanuts are recyclable? They can be taken to many of The UPS Stores (formerly Mail Boxes Etc.) and other stores that provide packaging and mailing services. When you choose packing materials, if you don't have packing peanuts to reuse, you might try cornstarch biodegradable packing material or consider "air cushioning," (filling sealable bags with air to provide support).
