I've always recycled my gift bags. I have some that have outlived the presents that were placed in them. You can always tie on a new tag and it's good as new. But the tissue paper is another thing--that always gets trashed... that is until now.
I saw a tip (sorry can't remember the publication) that advised using your paper shredder to shred the used tissue into shredded paper for your next gift bag. I tried it and it is great.
There are a few tips you need to know to do this:
1. Clean out your shredder before doing tissue paper. Otherwise you'll have office paper in your tissue. This includes the bin and blades.
2. Fold the tissue paper in eighths or sixteenths so that it is thick enough for your shredder to operate. My couldn't sense the tissue unless I had it folded.
3. Store shredded paper in a Ziploc until needed. Combine colors for a festive look.
Happy Shredding!
