Letters to the Editor: Gift wrapping is only trash if you throw it out. Save it for next Christmas

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·1 min read
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Los Angeles, CA - Christmas wrapping and other paper and plastic waste is piled high inside the cavernous Athens material recovery facility in Sun Valley on Thursday, Dec. 289, 2023. Athens recycles waste, such as wrapping paper, cardboard shipping boxes, food waste and Christmas trees. Athens handles most of the waste pickup and recycling in L.A. City and County. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Christmas wrapping and other paper and plastic waste are piled high inside a recycling facility in Sun Valley last month. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: I read with alarm that people are throwing out Christmas wrapping, ribbons, bows, bags and boxes, clogging dumpsters and landfills. I urge them not to do so. ("Mountains of holiday food and packing waste are clogging landfills. Is there a better way?" Dec. 31)

My family and I save the bags, ribbons, bows, boxes and sometimes even wrapping paper and tissue to use again. I lightly iron tissue, which makes it look like new.

There is no reason why all of us cannot save these items to use again. People listen to their government, which should urge us to reuse these items that are too often thrown away after one use.

Patricia Barry, Los Angeles

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.