Gift wrap that gives twice

If you're short on cash and looking for an environmentally friendly way to wrap holiday gifts, you can use old newspapers, catalogs, maps or calendars.

Gift-givers with time or children to help can make wrapping paper by stenciling, stamping, coloring or painting the inside of paper grocery bags.

A seamstress could sew up some "gift bags" that the recipient could easily reuse year after year.

But we decided to try something else in our pursuit of "green" holiday wrapping.

What about truly reusable wrapping? Maybe something that is part of the gift.

Of course, you have to factor the price into the cost of the gift.

We found all kinds of appropriate boxes and containers at The Container Store.

A $30 bamboo box could hide any type of gift, then provide great-looking storage in someone's office, bedroom or family room.

The gift recipient who can't find a use for a $2.19 small, red plastic box isn't really trying.

A $15 festive red lunch box could fill several purposes in the kitchen. Or how about its original job -- carrying lunch.

And reusable cloth "Santa" drawstring bags come in different sizes for $10 and $17. Just pop in a toy or other difficult-to-wrap present.

Almost any store you drop into has items appropriate for wrapping gifts.

At HomeGoods, a $30 throw that can easily wrap around a treasure was displayed close to a $16 decorative pillow, which could represent the "gift."

Cost Plus World Market sells lovely $25 bags made from saris. What a perfect way to wrap a sweater.

To finish your package, try raffia or cord made from hemp or flax. Decorate with reusable ornaments, pine cones, beads or cookie cutters.

One of the best things about telling people you're trying to be a green wrapper is then they will share ideas -- which you can recycle.

The rap on gift wrap

Here's why folks who want to be green criticize holiday wrapping paper:

• Environmentalists estimate 4 million tons of gift wrap and shopping bags go into U.S. landfills annually.

• Thirty-eight million miles of ribbon are thrown out each year -- enough to tie a bow around the equator.

Sources: Use Less Stuff; www.Recycleworks.org

Here are some more green gift-wrapping ideas:

• Other containers where you can stash your gifts include baskets, covered bowls and even plastic or fiberboard storage boxes.

• Reusable wrappings range from decorative dish towels, cloth napkins and scarves to a man's tie that could spruce up a bottle of wine.

• Wrapping paper made from recycled paper or cloth saves trees, and less goes in the landfill if you can recycle or compost it after opening the gift.

• Avoid metallic or Mylar paper that cannot be recycled or composted.

• Some wrapping paper is labeled to show it was made without chlorine, a chemical considered environmentally harmful.

• I draw the line at turning potato chip bags inside out and washing the foil, but cutting these to make ribbons --possibly curling ones -- sounds better somehow.

• If storage is not an issue at your home, wrapping paper on gifts you receive can be kept to use next year or shredded into that cool-looking stuffing that is so expensive in craft stores.

-- Deborah Donovan