Make Sure You Post Your Winter Parcels As Eco Friendly As Possible!
Posting something isn’t just about getting it totally wrapped up in paper – it’s about sending with love!
What I mean is, that the actual packaging and size of the packaging you use can have a huge environmental impact when sent through the post – and also the item you are posting could be better selected if you really want to save resources!
The Packaging:
Starting with the materials you choose for wrapping, it would make sense to avoid non-recyclable materials in the first place as they can only be thrown in the trash upon receipt. And wrapping something up and then putting it inside an envelope or another layer or wrapping for posting seems to be just a waste of resources.
Bubble-wrap should be used inside the packaging rather than as part of the wrapping so that it can be re-used at the other end in both parts. I mean, if you send a gift wrapped in a sheet of bubble wrap and then put inside a normal envelope or sheet or parcel wrap – then both parts can be put to use again by the recipient or the envelope recycled! However, using an envelope with it’s own bubble-wrap concealed within cannot be recycled - only reused as a whole.
And, you don’t really want to use heavy packaging – like loads of sticky tape – as this will make your entire package heavier to post and therefore it will use more fuel and energy to move from your post box to the recipients!
The Size Of It:
Many, many, many people use the wrong sized packaging when posting an item. It makes sense to find out the categories for your countries postal charges so that you can find out which is the most cost effective way to post it – and – the most energy-efficient way to post it.
Buying or using a larger-than-necessary envelope will take up more room in the postal system than a smaller one – creating more journeys for the postman and their fleet of trains and vans when added to all the other post going the same way.
And in the UK, the rates charged for packages depends purely on the dimensions – so folding a pliable gift a certain way could save you a lot of money!
Anyone who sells things over the internet will know all about the best way to package something! For example sending a ‘packet’ weighing up to 750g (1st class) is £2.65 – but sending a ‘large letter’ weighing the same (1st class) is only £1.77 – with just a few millimetres between them!
It’s worth knowing the small print if you have a lot of gifts to send!
And why post items that the recipient can get for themselves – for example; toiletries and cosmetics. Why send weighty bathroom goods through the post when they can buy them in their own stores? Just use a paper voucher for that store – or make a personalized voucher telling them what you want them to buy with your money.
It’s still going to be the same gift – just from the store 10 minutes from their home rather than your store 500 kilometers away! The items have already been driven across the country from the factory to the warehouse and then to your store – why get the postman to drive it somewhere else as well!!!!
The Gift Itself:
If you know you are posting something – then make sure you choose wisely. Why send an item that is going to be costly to post in the first place? And – are you going to pay the postal service to guarantee it arrives in one piece or more importantly credit you if the item is lost or damaged before it even arrives!
And, would it not be more eco friendly to have the item delivered directly to the person in the first place. I find it quite funny that the wrapping of a gift is so important. Some people have a gift delivered all the way to their home (at a cost) then wrap it themselves (at a further cost) then post it back out to the recipient (at even more cost!).
Why not just get it sent directly to the recipient in the first place – and have already told them to expect it and not to open it until you desire.
It’s still ‘wrapped up’ by the company - and it is still a gift from you? This is even worth doing for overseas deliveries in some instances as the company your order from may well have overseas distribution sites that make posting items direct more cost and energy efficient!
Or better still – buy them an item that is virtual, so you don’t have to post anything! Why not buy a ‘gift’ that helps others rather than clutters up our homes further, like charity gifts, memberships, or other good causes!
Make a difference with your money rather than making more things for landfill!
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