12 Months to Zero Waste- November
Month 11 of our year-long journey to lowering our eco footprint brings us to preparing for one of the most waste generating months of the year… are we ready for it? On average, Canadian households generate about 25% more waste during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year. This month, we’re doing something a little different- I’m going to introduce you to a local artist that we believe can help us improve this staggering statistic in several different ways.
Gift Wrap an Elephant?
According to Zero Waste Canada, Canadians generate approximately 540,00 tonnes of waste from wrapping paper and gift bags during the holiday season- that is roughly the equivalent of 100,000 elephants! OK, keep that visual in mind for a moment, and now, toss in approximately six million rolls of non-recyclable plastic tape… I wish I was exaggerating!
But What Can I Do?
What can we do to reduce our impact without losing the joy and thoughtfulness of a wrapped gift? One of the options we’re most excited about this year involves local textile artist Yuko Yamamoto. Yuko approached us last fall as she felt a kindred connection with our mission. Since then, we have been honoured to work closely with her in developing a line of beautifully functional bags and accessories created from upcycled and waste fabrics as well as a mending program to keep clothing and fabrics in use longer, hence diverting them from landfill. So, how does that help you reduce an elephant’s worth of gift wrap?
This month, together with Yuko, we are excited to introduce a beautiful line of one of a kind, upcycled, scrappy, and thrifted Furoshiki.
What The Heck is Furoshiki?
Furoshiki, or wrapping cloths, are an ancient Japanese tradition that date back over 1200 years. Originally used to transport clothing and other wares, the overall concept is gaining significant traction all over the world as a sustainable and beautiful alternative to wasteful single-use paper wrap. Not only do the beautiful fabrics and elaborate (or not) tie methods make your gift look amazing and thoughtful, but they also become PART of the gift as the receiver can use it again next year or even throughout the year as a lunch bag, a decor feature, a tea towel, a fashion piece…. the list is absolutely endless! (The beautiful opposite of single-use!!!)
So, How Does That Help?
Let’s take a moment to see how this one simple swap could have MASSIVE impact:
Let’s say you give a gift, we won’t even focus on the gift itself. To make it even more challenging, let’s even say it’s a weird shape, not a square box! (sends shivers…)
- Using upcycled, thrifted or scrappy fabric pieces removes textiles from the landfill stream as there are almost no textile recycling facilities available
- The flexible fabric wraps around any shape and ties beautifully, requiring zero plastic tape or fasteners
- (let’s not even talk about the plastic wrap AROUND the wrapping paper tubes!! Ugh!)
- Supports a local artist & a local business or two (thrift shop, us, etc…)
- Adds value, intention and thoughtfulness to the gift
- REPEAT all above every time it is reused
In its most simplified version, all you need is a piece of cloth with a diagonal length of approximately 3 times that of your gift. It needs to be thin and flexible enough to tie, but thick enough to hold its shape (vintage scarves tend to work great!). If you have it, we encourage you to use it. However, if you don’t have it already and you don’t have time to scour the thrift shops, we invite you to check out Yuko’s creations at plentiFILL. Our team is excited to learn with you and get creative with the plethora of techniques. Just remember, we had to learn how to wrap with paper, now let’s learn something different and divert an elephant of waste!