This holiday season, “think outside the box” when packaging your gifts! Your home (and recycling bin) may already contain items that make great alternatives to traditional wrapping paper and gift boxes. Single-use food packaging is perfect to reuse when packaging toys or clothes. Household linens like blankets or pillowcases can easily accommodate large or bulky items. Most of the time, the whole point of wrapping gifts is creating a brief moment of surprise, which can easily be accomplished without purchasing additional single-use items and creating more waste.
Here are Reuse Minnesota’s eco-friendly packaging and wrapping tips for you. Save money and time by reusing and repurposing supplies already in your home! Watch our video! Sustainable gift wrapping hacks video.mp4
Use empty food packaging containers. Rinse and reuse plastic clamshell containers or berry baskets. Take empty cereal or snack boxes and turn them into gift boxes. When you’re finished with a tin of nuts or cookies, save them to refill with homemade goodies and treats. Empty glass jars are great at disguising the wrapped item since the extra weight stumps those trying to shake presents to guess what’s inside!
Think beyond traditional wrapping paper. Wrapping paper can rip or tear if you have an awkwardly shaped gift. Instead use textiles around your house that can serve as “wrapping paper.” Lightweight blankets, scarves, sheets, or towels all make great substitutes. Research fabric wraps or furoshiki to learn how to wrap presents with fabric, or keep it simple and toss the fabric over the item before it’s handed off to unwrap.
Make your own reusable fabric wrap or bags. Put your sewing skills to use and create your own supply of reusable fabric wraps or gift bags using scraps and rags.
Reuse holiday cards as gift tags or embellishments. Holiday cards have the potential to be upcycled into fun crafts. Cut out or trace parts of a holiday card you’d like to reuse. You can use a roll of masking tape or a coffee cup to trace a perfect circle. Cookie cutters offer fun shapes you can use to trace too! Use your new cutouts as gift tags or decorate your package with the new embellishments.
Reuse gifting supplies you already have. Save boxes, bags, ribbons, bows, and tissue paper and reuse them the following year. It’s important to note that most recycling haulers do not accept gift wrap or tissue paper. Your best choice is to not use them at all, or reuse as much as you can. After giving a gift, feel free to ask if the receiver plans to reuse the wrap/big/tissue - if they aren’t, offer to take it to use again (that may feel awkward the first time you ask, but it shouldn’t! It’s better to not have it go to waste.). When you gather with friends and family, remember your gift wrap container and announce early on that you intend to reuse as much of the single-use wrapping people don’t want to reuse themselves. As people unwrap, fold and stash the unwanted pieces to have less to sort and clean up later.
Plan a scavenger hunt for gifts and skip gift wrapping altogether. Carefully placed clues makes the anticipation of finding the gift even more exciting. By the time your recipient finally gets to the last clue, they may be thankful they don’t have to unwrap the gift!
Giving gifts in non-traditional packaging encourages conversation around your intentions to use fewer resources and reuse what you already have. Not only are you giving a gift, but you’re also opening your recipient’s eyes to the possibilities of reuse and intentional lifestyle choices. You can also consider starting the conversation before giving your gift - reach out to family and friends to encourage everyone to wrap gifts more sustainably this year. It can even be a game to see who has the most creative reuse for their gift wrapping!
Which of these eco-friendly gift-wrapping ideas will you try this year?
Today is National Regifting Day! While it’s beneficial to have a specific day for this concept, we believe it is a mindset to celebrate all year long.
Regifting is the act of taking a gift you’ve received and giving it to someone else. Doesn’t seem too difficult, does it? After all, sometimes we don’t have a need or want for an item. Maybe you have a fragrance sensitivity to lotions or candles, but you know someone else that loves to have a variety of body products or scents in their home. Or perhaps you have plenty of sweaters and don’t need to drive demand for the production of more clothing in the fashion industry. What are the best options when someone gives you an unwanted gift?
Don’t clutter your home, store an unused item, and contribute to society’s over consumption of products. Instead, consider passing it along to someone else, or resetting expectations that gifts aren’t needed for the occasion. Gifts don’t always have to be shiny and new to be appreciated! One that is chosen with intention and thoughtfulness will have more meaning to its recipient.
Reuse Minnesota has come up with some regifting strategies to help get you through any gift giving or gift receiving scenarios.
Tips for regifting
Examples of items to regift
There are many reasons to consider regifting. Besides being an acceptable and normal thing to do, it’s also economical and environmentally friendly. Whether you are regifting secondhand or new items, or having that discussion that gifts don’t need to be the focus, you are showing your appreciation for the other person’s friendship, support, and love!
#NationalRegiftingDay
The holidays are here and our gift to you is the Reuse Minnesota holiday gift guide! You'll find a curated list of gift ideas from our members. There are many unique ideas and some you may not have thought of before, such as gift certificates for repair services or memberships to borrow items. Our members make it easy for you to gift with intention and purpose. We hope this guide will help you normalize reuse in your gift giving all year long!
View the guide below or open in a separate window.
Image: Minnesota Retailers Association
Retail’s biggest week is here… If you plan to do some holiday shopping, we strongly encourage you to skip large corporate chains, and instead enjoy our Reuse Minnesota member guide to local and sustainable businesses around the Twin Cities. Who needs Black Friday, when you can #OptOutside and partake in Small Business Saturday and Sustainable Sunday?
Shopping local is an important way to invest in our communities, reduce the climate and environmental impacts of our purchasing, and a great way to find unique gifts! Who knows what treasures you'll find when visiting a thrift store? You can handpick a thoughtful, curated gift that will be appreciated by your recipient. You can also move beyond gifting physical items and give the gift of experiences, memberships, and classes.
Local, small, and sustainable Reuse Minnesota businesses you can support
Remember to support reuse by shopping these organizations throughout the year! What are other great local places you like to visit for reuse, rental, and repair?
Click the map for Google directions to the businesses featured above
@sustainablesunday
#ShopLocal #ShopSmall #SustainableSunday #SmallBusinessSaturday #BlackFriday #CyberMonday
These aren’t your grandparents’ cloth diapers! Cloth diapering has come a long way since the days of safety pins and hand washing; and while the technology and design of cloth diapers has improved, the environmental and economic benefits have stood the test of time. The Minnesota Cloth Diaper Bank is encouraging parents across the state to take another look at the benefits of cloth diapers.
MCDB was founded in 2020 by sisters, Danielle Claseman, who works in responsible sourcing, and Rachel DeVries, a pediatrician. Using cloth diapers on their own children, they wanted to help make cloth diapering accessible, affordable, and achievable for all Minnesota families.
“There are so many benefits to using cloth diapers - keeping disposable diapers out of landfills and chemicals off our babies’ bodies are some of the big ones,” says Claseman. “But with all of these benefits, we recognize that there are some financial and educational barriers to getting started. We remove those barriers so families can try cloth [diapers] pretty much risk free.”
The MCDB program loans families a “stash” of 20 cloth diapers, and provides ongoing support and resources. Diapers can be swapped for different styles or replaced with larger sizes as the child grows. Most of the cloth diapers used in the program are gently used (and sanitized) and have been donated, further reducing the environmental impact. There is no cost to participate in the program (unless shipping costs are incurred) and anyone in Minnesota is welcome to apply.
“Approximately 20 billion disposable diapers are added to landfills throughout the country each year. That waste won’t decompose for about 400 years, so the environmental implications are huge,” says DeVries. “We also know that one in three Minnesota families struggle to provide enough clean diapers. Our goal is to support families and divert as many single-use diapers from the landfill as possible.”
Since their founding, MCDB has helped more than 200 Minnesota families meet their diapering needs with cloth diapers. An unexpected contributor to their success early on was the pandemic and the supply chain shortages that accompanied it. Claseman says, “We saw a big increase in applications during the early months of the pandemic. With product shortages, including diapers, I think it sparked a renewed interest in cloth diapers which are reusable and allow you to be more self-sufficient.”
As more families are looking for ways they can reduce their environmental footprint, Claseman and DeVries want to spread the word about MCDB’s free diaper loan program.
“We want to get the word out that we’re here to help, and we have diapers and supplies ready to go! The more children we can get in cloth diapers, the more we can reduce the economic and environmental impact of diapering,” says DeVries.
For more information or to apply for diapers, visit mnclothdiaperbank.org. Everyone is welcome to apply!
If you're not in need of diapers, but are interested in volunteering with us we're always looking to expand our network of supporters. Volunteering information is available at mnclothdiaperbank.org.
About Minnesota Cloth Diaper Bank
We are working to make cloth diapering accessible, affordable, and achievable for all Minnesota families. Our aim is to minimize the economic and environmental impacts of diapering.
People
We recognize that one in every three Minnesota families struggle to provide a sufficient number of clean diapers for regular diaper changes. Due to a prohibitively large racial income gap in Minnesota, families with the greatest financial need tend to be families of color.
Cloth diapering—though a more affordable option in the long-term—is often unattainable in the short-term for low-income families with the initial cost of a diaper stash often surpassing $500.
Planet
Every year, approximately 20 billion disposable diapers are tossed into landfills throughout the country, creating about 3.5 million tons of waste—waste that does not decompose for 400 years. This heavy toll on our environment can be mitigated through the use of cloth diapers.
Though cloth diapers must be regularly laundered, the water used in this process is actually 2.3 times less than the water necessary for manufacturing and using disposable diapers.
Program
To help remove the financial barrier of cloth diapering and decrease the environmental impact of disposable diapers, the Minnesota Cloth Diaper Bank has created a free cloth diaper loan program.
MCDB’s cloth diaper loan program provides cloth diapers to families free-of-charge, with the expectation that the family will return the diapers once their child no longer requires them.
Qualifying applicants to our program receive a starting cloth diaper stash (new or gently used diapers which have been laundered and, if necessary, repaired), which they may keep for as long as they need. Once the diapers are no longer required, the recipient ships them back to Minnesota Cloth Diaper Bank, where they are laundered, repaired, and (if viable) passed on to the next family.
1 According to a September 6, 2019 Star Tribune article, “poverty among whites in Minnesota is about 7%, while the rate is more than four times higher at 32% for blacks, the third biggest gap in the country.” 2 Reinhardt, Jenn. “Cloth Diapers and Water Usage.” All About Cloth Diapers.https://www.allaboutclothdiapers.com/cloth-diapers-and-water-usage/
E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Technology has become essential in personal and professional settings. Therefore, consumers, businesses, and policy-makers must be informed and engaged with proper e-waste management—and more importantly how to reduce the waste to begin with.
According to The World Counts, the world produces 50 million tons of e-waste annually. This type of waste comprises 70% of all toxic waste and only about 12.5% of it is recycled. E-waste, regardless of where it is disposed, poses significant threats to public health and is proving to be a severe international challenge. But as with any challenge, comes an opportunity to make effective and impactful changes that everyone can take part in.
This global issue requires a global response, particularly from the top three countries of e-waste generation: China, the United States, and India. Circular economics have been receiving more attention and implementation in recent years as a counter to the traditional “take-make-waste” model. The Circular Economy Practitioner Guide can be found here. While committing to supporting local circular economies can seem daunting, the three R’s of sustainability make it easy!
The first and most important step to slowing the production of e-waste is to reduce!
Only replace electronics when necessary: Unnecessarily purchasing electronics can be costly, for you and the environment! Instead of upgrading every couple of years, consider investing time in taking care of your devices. The New York Times posted an article with some useful tips and tricks of doing just that!
Buy tech with good reviews that are built to last: When it is time to make a needed upgrade, take the time to do research as a consumer. What are the reviews saying about the product? Does the manufacturer have a reputation for producing durable and long lasting products? Taking the time to thoroughly research your options will save you money down the road and will help reduce e-waste!
Look into warranty information and accessibility/right to repair: Another thing to consider when purchasing a new device is the duration and quality of the warranty policy and if the manufacturer supports you right to repair your items. You can learn more about the electronics repair industry from The Repair Association.
The next best thing in doing your part to minimize e-waste is to consider reuse! Here are some things to consider:
Fix it before replacing it: If your technology is on the fritz, consider taking it to a local business that can refurbish it. Fixing products is cheaper and requires fewer materials than buying new ones. More often than not, malfunctioning technology has many years left once it is properly fixed. Tech Fixers in Shakopee are a great place to get your electronics repaired!
Refurbish: With changing demands of the home and the workplace, some technology needs to be replaced eventually. That’s ok! But instead of tossing the old tech in the trash, find a nearby business that will take the products to refurbish and resell.
Consider buying second-hand/refurbished items: If you are in the market for a new laptop or cell phone, consider buying used/refurbished products. In addition to being far more affordable, you will help support circular economics in your community and reduce the costs of production for a new product. Businesses can also take part in purchasing second-hand. Head to Alta Tech to look through their services and opportunities!
Eventually electronics reach the end of their life. While they may not be worth much to us at this point, it is important to dispose of e-waste responsibly. You can do this by recycling!
Electronics of any kind cannot be recycled in regular single-sort recycling.
Electronics must be taken to a county dropsite that accepts electronics or an organization that specializes in properly managing e-waste. We are fortunate in the Twin Cities area to have many reuse businesses who are committed to this type of work—like Repowered!
It is important to properly manage e-waste for many reasons:
Unwanted electronics, especially those containing lithium batteries, can start fires in local recycling centers.
Electronics, as they break down, release many toxic chemicals and metals into the surrounding environment—a serious threat for nearby communities.
Recycling electronics allows for the opportunity to capture and reuse rare metals and materials, lowering the demand for mining of precious metals.
Photos: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency/Flickr
Working from home and hybrid workplaces have offered a lot of opportunities for more sustainable work (e.g. reduced emissions from commuting and heating/cooling office buildings, etc.). Use these tips to continue prioritizing reuse in your workplace(s) whether at home or in the office!
How to incorporate reuse in the workplace.pdf
Member spotlight: Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles
Q&A with Benita Warns, owner of Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles
Click here for video of the interview.
RM | Describe what MMRB does
At Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles we collect used bicycles, fix them and give them away. To pay for it, we sell used parts and accessories, used bicycles and a full line of repair services. RM | How do bikes find their way to you?
The bicycles that we get at Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles primarily come from the five cities that we have contracts with for recycling services. People bring their discarded bicycles to either community recycling events or to recycling centers and they drop them off. We come and pick them up. We repair those that can be repaired and then we tear apart and salvage parts off of those that can't be. People also donate bikes to us. All they have to do is call us at 651-641-1037 and schedule a donation appointment, and they may bring bicycles in. The bicycles we need most are those that fit tall men, mountain and hybrid styles and lightweight bicycles to fit petite women.
RM | What is the process to request a refurbished bicycle?
To get on our wait list to receive a gift bicycle, all you need to do is call 651-641-1037 when our list is open. Leave the following information on our voicemail: your first and your last name, your height, and a reliable telephone number to reach you when the bike is done. We do not do means testing so anyone can request a bicycle. We do have a lifetime limit of no more than two bicycles per person. Our wait list right now is closed. To find out when the wait list is open, all you need to do is go to our website and we always have that information there. RM | What other services do you offer?
The other types of services we offer at Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles are bicycle sales, where a customer can come in and purchase a reconditioned used bicycle or repair services. We offer a full line of repair services, everything from tune ups to wheel turning and just about any other service you can think of. We also offer sales of used parts and accessories, and we have a special outdoor sale on Sunday afternoons from 1 to 3, where you can browse a garage full of all sorts of second hand bicycle treasures.
In addition to our regular services at the shop, we also occasionally do mobile repair workshops. Typically we do these for low-income or homeless populations where we come and do bicycle repairs free of charge for them.
RM | Where does your passion for reuse come from?
As a kid, we were taught to never waste anything. We ended up saving just about everything and reusing it for one thing or another. My creative juices would get flowing, and so I would find all sorts of ways to reuse stuff for different purposes. We had gone to a neighborhood cleanup and we saw bicycles being discarded that were perfectly usable, we just could not stand to see that kind of waste, especially knowing that there was such a need for people to receive bicycles. And so we started collecting them. But my passion for reuse really comes from when I was a kid and not having a lot, and so we had to creatively use everything that we had.
RM | Why is a Reuse Minnesota membership important to MMRB?
Our organization, Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycles decided to become part of Reuse Minnesota because we strongly believe in the reuse economy. We believe that we need to be using all of the things we have rather than making new stuff, because it is a much greener alternative and it is a more economical alternative. We feel that Reuse Minnesota does a great deal to promote and enhance the reuse economy as well as allows us to connect with other businesses with similar values to ours in the area of reuse.
Mr. Michael Recycles Bicycleshttp://mmrbstore.com/ @MMRBstore
Member spotlight: City of Minneapolis Solid Waste & RecyclingQ&A with Claire Pardubsky, Minnesota GreenCorps member, serving with the City of Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling
RM | Describe what the role of the City of Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling department is, and how reuse fits into it.
Our office's primary role is as a waste hauler and most of our staff are out in the field collecting trash, recycling, and organics from Minneapolis homes. In addition, we provide community education and outreach and we spend a lot of time answering questions about how to dispose of items that don't necessarily belong in your trash and your recycling carts. That is one place where we like to center reuse in our work.
When we're answering questions on the phone or on our website, one of the first things that we list and recommend to folks is to reuse an item or two if it's usable to share it with friends, family or neighbors on various platforms to make sure items get used to their fullest capacity before being thrown away. Going forward, we're really excited to do more campaigning to promote the idea of "loving your stuff" as well as holding more swap events.
RM | Tell us about the recent garden tool swap event you planned.
One of our first swap events has been our garden tool swap, which we started in spring of 2021. We just held our second swap this spring of 2022, and both events have been a huge success with increasing participation this second year. The reason we started with garden tools is because so many folks really started backyard gardening and landscaping, and spending more time at home over the last couple of years and enjoying the space that they have. We wanted to make sure that as items start to get neglected by folks that don't have the time anymore, and maybe took on too much, or as more people start new backyard gardens, that all of those items get used to their fullest capacity. That's why we started with garden tools. So far it's been a huge success. The second year we held the swap at seven citywide parks, and it's been a blast.
RM | How does the swap work?
This year's swap took place for about three hours on a Saturday morning, and it was held at seven different parks across the city of Minneapolis. At each of those parks anywhere from 2 to 4 volunteers were present to help unload vehicles, tally items as they were dropped off or taken, and chat with participants about what their gardening plans were. Participants were welcomed to take or leave anything that they wanted. There was no limit on dropping off or taking items. You did not have to bring items to participate in the swap, and everything was free.
RM | What type of impact did your swap event have?
Over three hours we had over 330 participants. Over 2,200 items were dropped off and by the end of the morning more than 1,400 of those items were already taken and claimed by new homes. Even as we were wrapping up the event at each location, folks were walking up and claiming items and kind of perusing what was left over. Any leftover items were still reused. We had partnered with neighborhood organizations as well as on site volunteers and community members to make sure the items were reused to their fullest capacity. Anything that didn't get swapped in that three hour window was listed on a free exchange platform for neighbors to come grab. It was shared out at a local farmer's market. We also had some volunteers driving items around to local community gardens and sharing items that way. It was really motivating to see.
RM | What other reuse activities does the City of Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling support?
Another ongoing reuse activity that our office is really excited about is our Facebook group, which now has upwards of 800 members. Its primary purpose is to answer tricky recycling and organics questions. By posting those answers publicly where 800 plus people can see them, we help reduce confusion pretty efficiently. It's also served as a really effective platform to promote reuse. Often people will post an item, planning to throw it away, and someone else will suggest that they post it on a local free exchange website. It's really motivating to watch community members share our enthusiasm for reuse and often beat us to the punch on recommending that folks list items for reuse or find a secondary purpose for them before they throw items away.
RM | Why is it important to the City of Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling to be a Reuse Minnesota member?
Minneapolis Solid Waste and Recycling loves being a Reuse Minnesota member for a number of reasons. I think primarily among them, it's really grounding to connect with other organizations that want to center reuse in their work and are already doing really awesome work. It's really inspiring to see other opportunities for reuse across the state of Minnesota and draw inspiration from some of those organizations. I'm personally hoping that in the coming years our office has increasing bandwidth to promote reuse and hold more swap events. I have a long list of ideas from our time with Reuse Minnesota.
City of Minneapolis Solid Waste & Recycling https://www.minneapolismn.gov/ @cityofminneapolis
Member spotlight: r.CupQ&A with Michael Martin, r.Cup Founder and CEO
RM | How did you get started in sustainability?
For the very first Earth Day in 1970 in Wisconsin, I went out with my 4th grade class and cleaned up the banks of the Fox River. It was a very big thing there because Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin created Earth Day. Years later, after watching environmental disasters like Bhopal and the Exxon Valdez oil spill, I decided businesses needed to factor sustainability into operations. And so in 1990, I started Effect Partners, to combine culture, business and sustainability solutions. Recalling that first Earth Day experience, the first thing I did was to produce the big 1990 Earth Day Concert and rally on the Great Mall in Washington, DC.
RM | What sparked your interest and commitment to reuse?
Over the last 30 years I have introduced many of the sustainability concepts in live events. I’ve even been called the “Guru of Live Event Greening” (thanks, Billboard Magazine!)
In the process of designing and developing sustainability strategies for everyone from Jack Johnson to Dave Matthews Band to U2 to Live Nation to AEG, it was clear that the most visible environmental impact at live events is the single-use cup waste that’s generated.
Back in 2011, on U2’s 360 Tour, we saw a reusable cup system in place on the Zurich date. I thought this was brilliant and decided to bring it to North America. By working with the world’s leading artists and cultural influencers, I felt we could introduce the concept of reuse at scale to create systemic change. In the process, I realized what was really needed was the platform for the reuse economy.
And so, that’s what we set out to do with r.Cup. We’ve built the platform to maximize positive environmental impact, positive community impact, operational efficiencies and sanitization capabilities. We are set up to eliminate the billions of single-use waste items that contribute to our world’s climate crisis. Through the simple act of reuse, we can help combat climate change.
RM | What does Earth Day mean to you? What are your most memorable and meaningful Earth Day moments?
It means a lot to me. I produced the nationally broadcast stadium Earth Day concerts from 1990-1995, helped establish the Earth Day International Organization, and was on its board for 20 years. Earth Day is now the world's largest secular event. I view Earth Day as the funnel to introduce people to the environmental movement. Because of its strong focus on schools and youth, it allows us to plant the “sustainability awareness” seed early.
My most meaningful Earth Day moments were organizing campaigns that engaged millions of people in taking action around Earth Day. One of my favorite moments was when we were able to reunite Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for the first time since the Beatles broke up for an Earth Day concert. This created millions of impressions and quantified actions globally around Earth Day.
RM | Why focus on Minneapolis/Minnesota?
I moved here in 1990 for one year, and I’m still here because it is an amazing place to live. It’s very supportive of innovation, sustainability, the arts, and entrepreneurship.
And so, I’ve found that Minneapolis is the perfect location to launch a concept like reuse and r.Cup and r.Ware. As a matter of fact, our first r.Cup event was U2 at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sept. 8, 2017.
Our compost facilities are getting overrun with bioplastics. Our landfills are filling up. Waste going to the incinerator releases toxins into the community. If we can take millions of single-use items out of the waste stream, the health of our residents and the environment all benefit.
RN | What’s your vision for Minnesota?
I would like to see Minnesota be the state that leads the country in reuse with less of a reliance on compostable plastic and other single-use items. Reuse Minnesota has and will play an absolutely critical role in the state’s growth of reuse. I believe, working together, Minnesota will once again lead and inspire other states to do the right thing.
r.Cup rcup.com @rcupworld
Reuse Minnesota was founded in 2012 and is a member-based nonprofit that supports repair, resale, and rental businesses, bringing visibility to the reuse sector as a means to lower our state's impact on the environment.
Contact usEmail Reuse Minnesota612-314-6283reusemn.org
© 2024 Reuse Minnesota. All rights reserved. | Reuse Minnesota is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
