Gift Boxes Paper Recycling Empty Completely Before you recycle a gift box, make sure it’s free of tissue paper by emptying out anything inside. Remove Bows and Glitter Bows, glitter and other decorations that sometimes adorn gift boxes are not recyclable. Remove decorations and cut out glitter-covered pieces before recycling any gift box. Flatten Boxes Flatten gift boxes before recycling them, in order to save space and to make them easier to sort. Ways to Reuse Use More Than Once Instead of throwing gift boxes out after one use, save and reuse them until they become worn out. Did You Know? Top 7 Ways to Be More Sustainable During the Holidays Gift Wrapping Waste How much gift wrapping waste do Americans generate on a yearly basis? About two pounds per person, or 40 million pounds in total, which includes paper products used to wrap, package and decorate gifts. 38 million miles of ribbon are discarded per year, which is enough to wrap around the Earth.