Regifting is good for the environment

Recently, the Motley Fool's Dayana Yochim wrote a rather disdainful list of do's and don'ts of regifting. "Regifting" is, of course, the process of giving someone a present that has been previously given to you.

I guess a finance guru thinks you look cheap if you indulge in this practice, but to me, regifting is simply another word for "recycling," so it's good for the planet.

You're keeping something out of the garbage and hopefully giving it a useful new home.

Some of Yochim's regifting tips that we greenies might want to ignore include:

"Don't confuse barely used with brand-spankin' new." Sure, if a garment is stained, it's not an appropriate gift. But mismatched twist-ties on cords are hardly valid reasons to not pass along a working electronic toy to a kid.

Another nonstarter: "Make sure all original packaging is intact." Who cares? Packaging is wasteful to begin with, so if you've already recycled it, don't worry about not passing along that problem to another person. You don't need to give shrink-wrapped gifts -- sentiment is not measured by plastic (especially when the plastic will just clog up the ocean).

Here's another one that's a bit iffy: "Wrap it like it's new." Yes, it's nice to wrap a gift to show you care. But you can always reuse wrapping paper (my family has been doing it for decades; not with the exact same paper, though!), and high-quality fabric ribbons and bows last a long time. Check out our previous blog post for eco-friendly wrapping ideas.

But we can all agree with this advice: "Give with good intentions." Think about who would really appreciate your second-hand gifts the most.

Because if they don't want it, those things still could end up in a landfill, and that's the kind of gift our planet doesn't need.