Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, Americans reportedly discard 25 percent more trash than usual. Consider these environment-friendly choices and you can not only reduce waste but also help keep our world a little cleaner during Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays.
Holiday Decor
1) Opt for real trees from a local, sustainable tree farm. Or consider a potted tree that you can plant when the ground thaws in the spring.
2) Dispose of your tree by finding a holiday-tree recycling initiative near you. Or if your community offers the service, put it out for curbside pickup and composting.
3) Choose energy-efficient LED holiday lights for decorating. They use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs, plus they last many seasons longer. Put your lights on a timer to save even more energy. Old light strings can be recycled thanks to companies such as HolidayLEDs.com.
Gifts
4) Think outside the store: Give homemade crafts or foods, educational gifts, or experiences instead of more stuff. And when you do buy gifts, opt for durable, recyclable, energy-efficient ones or items made from natural products.
5) Shipping a gift? Save and reuse packing material.
6) Avoid gag gifts and donate unwanted gifts to charity. A recent survey found that 53 percent of Americans receive an unwanted gift during the holidays — and while more than half will return or regift them, 12 percent throw unwelcome presents straight into the trash.
7) Rethink the gift wrap. It’s said that up to half of the paper Americans consume is used to wrap and decorate products. Cut down on this by reusing gift bags, wrapping paper, and tissue paper.
Or consider other creative options, such as old maps, posters, calendars, newspaper comics, or fabric. You could also wrap the present in another gift, such as a scarf, dish towel, or cloth napkin.
Save and reuse old ribbon, and consider alternatives such as string and yarn. (Try furoshiki — a traditional Japanese method — to make your holiday more eco-friendly!)
All the Trimmings
8) Send holiday wishes in recycled cards and envelopes. Americans send more than a billion holiday cards a year. Avoid cards and wrapping paper with plastic coatings or nonpaper additives; though pretty, these materials are not recyclable.
9) Or make your own cards and gift tags out of last year’s cards and the wrapping paper you saved.
10) Remove your name from the mailing lists of mail-order catalogs you no longer wish to receive.
11) Offer rechargeable batteries and a charger if you’re giving a gift that requires batteries. Americans throw away an uncountable number of disposable batteries annually — billions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Holiday Meals
12) Forgo food waste with some thoughtful planning. In 2019, more than 66 million tons of food was wasted in the United States — 40 percent of which came from households. Count your guests, plan menus, and buy only what you need. And invest in some sustainable food storage for all those tasty leftovers.
13) Bring out the real plates and flatware for special meals instead of paper plates and single-use plastic utensils. It’s a special time! And invite family, kids, and even guests who want to help to join together and lend a hand with washing the dishes. It’s all in the holiday spirit.
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