Crumpling up paper is a satisfying thing. Squeezing the paper tight in your fist, tossing it into the trash–who hasn’t done that? The menfolk at Enviro Girl’s house take particular joy from the crumple and toss–especially when it comes to disposing of gift wrap and mail.
A simple experiment will demonstrate exactly why the crumple contributes to the Trash Factor, taking up uneccessary room in our garbage bags and landfills.
Procure an empty shoe box and a stack of paper. (Enviro Girl used 8.5″ X 11″ multipurpose paper.)
Lay the paper into the box. How many pieces can you fit? (Enviro Girl laid in one hundred.)
Good. Now pull out the paper and begin crumpling it up and setting it in the box. Now how many pieces can you fit? (Enviro Girl squeezed in ten.)
By resisting the urge to crumple and folding gift wrap flat and layering it in your garbage bags, you’ll be able to dispose of more paper in less space. Your garbage collectors will thank you (especially the week after Christmas) and your landfills will thank you.
I would never have thought of this, so I’m glad you did.
My Dad taught us to rip the paper into 2 or 3 pieces and put it flat in the trash and also to flatten cereal and cookie boxes.
I put all our junk paper through the shredder. When it is full, I use it as box filler when I mail gifts to my nieces and nephews.
I’m sure you meant RECYCLERS will appreciate it, right? We send all of our paper to the recyclers – none to the landfill/garbage man.