A resourceful Redditor made a post to show off their innovative way of reusing paper grocery bags — turning them into adorable custom wrapping paper.
The Reddit post featured a picture of three thoughtfully wrapped presents. The rectangular gifts were covered with brown paper adorned with drawings in black marker. The designs included pine trees, cheeky cats, and squiggly lines. The caption read, "Turned 1 kraft paper grocery bag into custom wrapping paper."
This hack might seem small and silly, but it's a fabulous way to create less waste and give paper bags a second life. Paper grocery bags often go into the trash once people unpack their groceries. This means they're used for no more than an hour before being sent to the recycling or a landfill.
Many think of paper bags as an innocuous alternative to single-use plastic bags. Unfortunately, paper bags can be surprisingly harmful to the environment.
According to the Columbia Climate School, they weigh more, increasing transportation pollution. Stanford Magazine explains that manufacturing a paper bag requires about four times as much water as manufacturing a plastic bag. So it's important to reuse and recycle them as much as possible.
In 2011, the United Kingdom's Environment Agency reported that paper bags must be reused at least three times to offset their contribution to pollution. You could use the bags for a few more grocery trips or turn them into endearing homemade wrapping paper.
According to San Diego State University, 2.6 billion pounds of wrapping paper are used and thrown away annually. Because many varieties have a plastic coating, wrapping paper is often unrecyclable. So this sweet hack saves you money, helps you reuse paper bags, and reduces gift wrap waste.
In a comment, the original poster gave a helpful overview of how they managed this hack. They said they cut the bag to lay flat and cut off the handles. Then, they drew the designs on the blank side. That was all it took. You could even use the cut-off handles to create a festive bow.
People in the comments loved the trick. One commented, "That's so f****** cute."
🗣️ When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you?
🔘 The way it looks 😍
🔘 The information it provides 🧐
🔘 The waste it produces 🗑️
🔘 I don't think about packaging at all 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Another person said, "I would be so pleased if I was to receive that - not only is it more ethical but the personal touch too!"
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