Fun Ways To Recycle That Wrapping Paper

After weeks upon weeks of shopping and countless hours of wrapping presents, there is a mess of bows, tissue and wrapping paper and boxes sprawled throughout the living room.

It can be tempting to grab an industrial sized garbage bag to remove all of the signs of happy gift exchanges, but in the spirit of giving, give back to the earth by recycling it.

Boxes can often be broken down and saved for future gifts, or can be recycled at the curb with the rest of your cardboard. More plain wrapping papers can be recycled with your mixed paper recyclying.

According to Recycle Now, however, the materials that make up most wrapping papers can make it more difficut to recycle. Paper that is dyed, laminated or contains non-paper additives such as glitter typically cannot be recycled.

So, here are links to three fun crafts that will allow you to get a second hurrah from your wrapping paper:

1. Star Ornaments with the help of Disney's Family Fun

With a couple snips and only a few twists, you can make your very own ornaments for your New Year's Eve party or even next Christmas.

2. Make a pencil cup with the help of MetaCafe

Not only does this craft have a video that shows you step by step how to make a pencil cup from a square piece of paper, but the cup itself can also be modified slightly to be a gift card holder.

3. Make unique paper beads with the help of Crafting a Green World

The link brings you to an article that is actually about recycling magazines. But magazine paper and wrapping paper has a similar texture and this interesting technique will work for both. Forget the macaroni necklace and opt for a more "green" piece of jewelry.