Columbia’s Office of Sustainability shares eco-friendly habits for the holidays

Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ)

In a Facebook post, the City of Columbia's Office of Sustainability shared ways to reduce waste when wrapping gifts this holiday season.

According to San Diego State University, around 2.6 billion pounds of wrapping paper is thrown away per year in the US, which is enough to cover 40 football fields.

While most paper and cardboard are recyclable, glossy, shiny and glittery wrapping papers are typically not recyclable. Ribbons, bows, and tape also cannot be recycled and must go to the landfill.

For the holiday season, many sustainability groups, like the Office of Sustainability recommend reusing wrapping paper and getting creative when putting together gifts.

The National Environmental Education Foundation recommends saving old ribbons, gift bags, and large pieces of wrapping paper for future gifts. Instead of purchasing wrapping paper that can't be recycled, magazines, maps and newspapers can be used. Some stores also sell eco-friendly paper.

The foundation also recommends using butcher paper and decorating the boxes with stamps or a bright bow as an alternative wrapping paper. For gift tags, gift givers can cut out the fronts of old Christmas cards.

American University recommends using dishtowels or scarves to wrap gifts.

For the gifts themselves, NEEF recommends purchasing a gift that does not need packaging like tickets for a trip, a subscription service, or a spa treatment.