This holiday season, we consumers are scrambling for the best deals on holidays gifts. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday offer customers deals that are worth raiding the busiest stores and camping out in front of Walmart , but what consumers fail to think about is the part that comes after buying all their gifts: wrapping them.

In the United states alone, consumers are responsible for using four million tons of wood to make wrapping paper for holiday gifts. It’s important to acknowledge the waste that comes during the winter holiday season. Much of the wrapping paper Americans use is non-recyclable. Decorative wrapping paper that’s embellished with glitter and other sequins can clog up the machines at recycling plants.

The problem of holiday wrapping waste production has become so prominent that China has refused to take our holiday waste over the past years. Often, the wrapping paper and ribbons that go to recycling plants aren’t sorted and are troublesome to put through recycling machines. With China now limiting the waste it takes from the U.S.,some citizens have tried to find other ways to dispose of wrapping paper: burning it. This “solution” is a harmful one, especially to those who burn wrapping paper made in China. In China, there are little to no regulations that control what products go into making wrapping paper. Burning this wrapping paper releases potential toxins that could be inhaled. Instead of finding a better way to dispose of wrapping materials, we should be using more environmentally conscious material in the first place. There are alternative forms of wrapping papers that are less harmful to the environment. One ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees. Using wrapping paper made of cardboard, fabric or even recycled paper is a great way to reduce deforestation.

This holiday season, we need to be conscientious of the spirit of giving. Giving back to the environment is one way to make sure that you’re not just giving to your loved ones, but also the rest of the world. If you’re looking for places to find colorful and environmentally healthy wrapping paper, visit Wrappily.com.