 According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American increases the amount of garbage they discard by 25% during those few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Twenty-five percent! Just think about that and how quickly that adds up!
The following tips will help you ring in a green Christmas and decrease your contribution to the landfill.
- If you shop online or by mail, consolidate your orders into as few shipments as possible. You will reduce packaging this way. And remember to recycle any packaging that you can.
- When mailing or sending gifts, choose small, light packages. Smaller, lighter packages take up less space and require less fuel than big, heavy packages.
- Wrapping paper isn’t typically made from recycled materials. Therefore it is a major offender when it comes to holiday waste. Be sure you recycle your wrapping paper. But, if it is shiny, glossy, or sparkly, it isn’t recyclable.
- Some wrapping paper alternatives include: gift-wrap made of recycled paper, hemp, or flax.
- To hold your gift wrapping together, try Sellotape, made of biodegradable plant cellulose, unlike traditional scotch tape
- Wrap difficult-to-wrap gifts in comics, newspaper, or old maps and recycle the materials after the recipient opens the gift.
- Reuse your wrapping. This includes your gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons, and bows. Gather everyone’s wrappings and save them for next year. Be sure to store them somewhere dry where they will not get damp.
- Use multipurpose packaging that won’t be wasted. Try making your packaging part of the gift itself. You can wrap a gift in a scarf, bath towel, handbag, or kitchen towel, or place it in a box that can be reused for storage.
- Cloth grocery totes make for hard working gift wrapping. They are sturdy, roomy, and available at most retailers. This makes them ideal to hold gifts of all shapes and sizes. And, they help reduce the number of plastic bags in landfills. Your loved ones will think of you every time they shop for groceries!
- Ever considered sewing your own gift bags? You can make them from fabric you’ve collected and reuse decorative gift bags that have been given to you.
- You could even go “old-school” and hide your gift behind your back and make its recipient close his or her eyes, and then present them with it, without ever having to wrap it all!
- Consider making your own cards and Christmas cards. Reusing the front covers of last year’s cards or wrapping paper is a great place to start. Remember little things like buying locally or supporting local artisans. You could also start a card chain and exchange a card with a special friend year after year.
- It was a faux-pas on Seinfeld, but “re-gifting” that gift that’s been collecting dust in the closet, is actually very green! There is no driving to order it and no packaging materials.
Bear all these things in mind this year as you conquer your Christmas and holiday shopping!
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