Mind the Wrap: Alternative Wrapping Workshop

Croydon Climate Action and Sustainable Thornton Heath are proud to be hosting a workshop with Mind the Wrap, a campaign raising awareness of wasteful and plastic wrapping paper and encourages use of alternatives instead. 

From birthdays, to Christmas, to weddings and other special occasions, giving and receiving gifts is a wonderful tradition. Problem is, most gift wrapping paper cannot be recycled because it's mixed with materials such as plastic, glitter, dye, ink, laminate, foil, sticky tape etc. (BBC article). So tonnes of it ends up in landfills or incinerators every year, and yet a lot of it is unnecessary in the first place. For many, it's often an unconscious purchase - something we buy without thinking about if we really need it.

We will learn how to wrap your gifts beautifully in a sustainable way, using materials you already own such as:

• Newspapers
• Fabric (e.g. scarves, tea towels, cushion covers, pillow cases, offcuts, and tote bags - all good for trying out the Japanese art of Furoshiki)
• Brown paper 
• Children's art work
• Maps brought back home from travels
• Old calendars
• Bags and packaging from online and offline shopping
• Sheet music
• Tins and jars
• Bit radical but check out the fabulous wrappers from Who Gives A Crap
• Fallen leaves and orange/lemon peels make great finishes instead of plastic materials
• Twine, fabric strips, washi tapes (see below) - seal your wrapping with these or other paper tapes as most plastic sticky tape cannot be recycled and is not biodegradable

There will be a newspaper Christmas decoration activity for children too! Refreshments and equipment provided, you are encouraged to bring your own materials that you already have at home.