Reduce Waste:

• Avoid products with excessive packaging
• Buy wrapping paper with recycled content
• Recycle or compost wrapping paper after the holidays
• Make your own gift wrap from butcher paper
• Give gifts in baskets, tins or jars
• Reuse gift bags

Wrap using reusable items:

• Wrap a small gift in a knit hat. Close the hat with a decorative pin
• Place games or toys for kids in a backpack
• 'Wrap' tools in a toolbox
• Put blouses and other gifts in decorative hat boxes and tie with a ribbon
• Wrap kitchen gifts in a colorful dish towel or oven mitt
• Place home-baked cookies in a reusable kitchen container
• Wrap tools for a gardener in the pocket of a garden apron, planter, or bucket
• Wrap presents in maps, pages from calendars, or other unconventional materials from your home

More tips:

• Treecycle your Christmas tree
• If you buy cards, look for ones made from recycled paper
  'Post-consumer' recycled paper comes from curbside collection programs
  '100% post-consumer recycled paper' is the gold standard
• Save this year's cards to create next year's gift tags
• Shipping a gift? Reuse foam peanuts, or use unbuttered, unsalted popcorn for packing
• Search flea markets, garage sales, and thrift stores for interesting, old boxes that can be used as decorative packages
• Winter holidays generate a tremendous number of catalogs. Before tossing the ones you don't want into your recycling cart, take a moment to remove your name from that company's mailing list. (Recycling is great, and preventing waste is even better!). Often a simple call to the catalog's toll-free number accomplishes the deed.
• Holiday cards can add up to a lot of waste. Send e-cards instead of paper cards, use social networking websites to spread holiday cheer.
• Always use a reusable shopping bag. Don't accept bags you don't need.
• When a friend or family or family member says they 'don't want any more stuff,' take them seriously.

Don't forget to recycle your wrapping paper in your curbside recycling cart!
Foil wrapping paper and metallic tape cannot be recycled and must be discarded in your trash can.