介绍： This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Christopher Intagliata.
You never know if your loved ones are going to like what you bought 'em for the holidays. But one thing you can count on? A huge pile of paper trash, the detritus from unwrapping presents.
Americans spend more than 8 billion dollar...

介绍： This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Christopher Intagliata.
You never know if your loved ones are going to like what you bought 'em for the holidays. But one thing you can count on? A huge pile of paper trash, the detritus from unwrapping presents.
Americans spend more than 8 billion dollars a year on wrapping paper, according to a recent report by Sundale Research. And we toss millions of pounds of that precious paper in the garbage.
Truth is, it's not that easy to recycle. Metallic or shiny wrapping papers can't be recycled. Neither can bows or ribbons. And tissue paper doesn't have long enough fibers for recycling. One municipal recycler suggests composting tissue instead.

Though we're spending a lot of money on wrapping paper and ribbons today, Grand View Research forecasts we'll be buying more decorative boxes, pouches and bags in the future—which is a more sustainable choice, because those items can be used year after year. Wrapping gifts in fabric—a Japanese tradition—is also growing in popularity.

这里是科学美国人——60秒科学系列，我是克里斯托弗·因塔格里塔。
你永远不知道你爱的人会不会喜欢你买的节日礼物。但有件事你可以确定。一大堆废纸——拆开礼物包装后留下的碎屑。
根据圣代尔研究所的最新报告，美国人每年在包装纸上的花费超过80亿美元。我们把数百万磅的珍贵纸张扔进了垃圾桶。
事实上，回收这些纸并不容易。金属或有光泽的包装纸不能回收。蝴蝶结和丝带也不能回收。棉纸因为纤维不够长而不能回收。一位市政回收商建议用堆肥纸代替棉纸。
现在，尽管我们在包装纸和丝带上花了很多钱，但大观研究所预测，我们未来将购买更多装饰盒、袋子和包，这些物品是更可持续的选择，因为这些东西可以年复一年地使用。用布料包装礼物的日本传统也越来越流行。