Confession time. I’m not as good at recycling as I would like to be. I’m an unorganized person to begin with when it come to physical space. So the idea of separating my trash into multiple bins sends my ADHD brain into overdrive. (I can barely keep track of when it’s trash day in time to get the can to the curb.)
But I do have some recycling things I’ve managed to do over the years… some standard, some maybe quirky, and some thrifty. I re-use all grocery bags – either when I return to the store or use them to line trash cans. All clothes, furniture, household items that we’ve outgrown go to Good Will or church mission store. I do know where to drop off broken down cardboard boxes and fill up the mini-van for the kids to make a drop off. We had a compost heap for a while – which the kids loved!
And then there are, of course, my recycled gift bags… yep, I admit it. I’m one of those people who fishes bows back out of the trash and snatches up the gift bag once the present is opened and even flatten tissue paper back out. I’ve gotten quite inventive of the years at figuring out ways to put a stick name tag over any writing that may have been on the bag when it was given to me and my family. In fact, the very reason I thought of this? Today’s my son’s 21st birthday! (Happy birthday, sweetie!!) And as we were checking out the old Christmas paper I used to wrap his bag, the kids reminded me of how Susan, Katherine (dear friends) and I had a gift bag we passed around so often between our families, we started signing and dating inside the bag! We lost the bag after about ten uses (it was pretty tattered.) But I’ve been thinking it’s time to boldly, proudly start announcing my recycling by autographing the bags again!
So what about y’all? Any creative ideas for wrapping a gift? Do you recycle gift bags? Go for new only? Or do you present the gift “in the raw”?! 
On June 18th, 2009 at 10:45 am, Beth said:
I recycle bags, too. We stick them all in the largest bag I have so they don't fall on me when I open the closet.
Last Christmas, the baby got a gift from my sister-in-law in a bag that had my niece's name on it. The kicker was that her name was written in my mother-in-law's handwriting, which meant the bag was from the previous year. LOL
On June 18th, 2009 at 5:34 pm, Jane said:
Happy Birthday to your son. We do recycle gift bags. One time we even used a red Christmas one for a birthday gift. It's just more economical to reuse them than to buy wrapping paper.
On June 18th, 2009 at 9:42 pm, Debra said:
I am a big time receycler. And I reuse all bags simply because I do not have the heart to throw a completely good (and usually cute) bag away! I use the plastic bags for trash liners and to take my lunch to work. Growing up we always saved the bows from Chrstmas presents for the next year. All my years at home, I don't think we ever bought new ones! LOL
Happy Birthday to your son!
On June 19th, 2009 at 8:39 am, Lisa F. said:
I'll recycle the gift bag if it's not too scrappy looking. I usually use the comic section of the newspaper to wrap gifts and for my son's 16th birthday, I used the auto sales section.
On June 22nd, 2009 at 12:03 am, Catherine Mann said:
I thought of something else today that I recycle…. When I finish with the tub of butter, I wash out the containers and save them to use when I send food over to neighbors or friends. Then they don't have to bother with returning a dish.
Love the idea about using the comic section for wrapping! Cool! I've also gone to baby showers where I wrapped the gift in a receiving blanket or baby towel held together witha diaper pin.
My youngest sister is realllllly good about figuring out creative ways to use scraps, but I have to confess, I'm not anywhere near as organized as she is!!
On July 1st, 2009 at 8:33 am, Joanne Rock said:
I have no choice but to recycle lots of stuff as my husband doesn't like to pay excess trash collection fees and he knows we can drop off recyclable stuff for free. So every cardboard box that comes through this house ends up broken down, folded up and stuff in the man's van to head to the recycle station. I am so glad for Mother Earth. But every now and then I have an uncontrollable urge to sneak the Lucky Charms box into the trash can under the sink rather than trip across the driveway in my bathrobe to put it where it belongs.
But shhhh. Don't tell him!
On August 24th, 2009 at 2:39 pm, Anonymous said:
My coment really is late…We recycle gift bags and I have used the comic section for gift wrap. One recycle thing I have a 'fetish' about recycling is jars. I use them to put left overs in the fridge, to send food to my kids or grandkids and anything else. The best jars are spaghetti sauce jars by Classico spaghetti sauce. They can be re-used to can jelly, etc..if you're into that kind of thing.
On February 10th, 2010 at 8:03 am, Reyes Betson said:
Thanks to you I dont seem like an idiot. I had an argument with my friend and this shows I was right. Thanks!
On April 20th, 2010 at 12:20 am, Adrienne Chenault said:
Fantastic article! I absolutely agree along with you.
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