Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year's holiday season than any other time of year. This extra garbage amounts to 25 million tons of trash.                                                                                               

                                                                                                              holidayrecycling.com

                         Sustainable Tips For A Green Holiday Season

There are many ways to reduce waste during the holiday season, while saving money and helping the environment at the same time. Read on for sustainable tips for the holiday season:

Recycle Christmas Trees. Christmas Trees are collected for recycling at the 755 Walden Street Compost Site. There is no charge. Click here for collection dates. Also, consider purchasing a live tree that can be replanted.

Send E-cards rather than traditional holiday cards. Many websites offer free E-card services.

When hosting a holiday party, place recycling containers within arms reach in high use areas. Buy snacks and beverages in bulk rather than individual packs. Opt for reusable cups, napkins, & utensils rather than disposable products. Unused canned & packaged food can be donated to Open Table. Visit www.opentable.org for details.

When wrapping gifts, consider alternatives to traditional wrapping paper. Wrap gifts with usable items such as bandanas, scarves, decorative kitchen towels, and tins. Other alternatives include newspaper stories, magazine pictures, etc. If you do utilize traditional wrapping paper, consider wrapping paper with recycled content; avoid paper with metallic coloring. When packing gifts for shipping, consider using popcorn rather than Styrofoam peanuts.

Recycle Styrofoam Block. Styrofoam block is collected for recycling after the holidays at the 755 Walden Street Compost Site. Click here for collection dates and pricing.

Bring reusable bags when shopping for the holidays.

Gifts. Consider giving low environmental impact gifts. (i.e. event tickets, gift cards, subscriptions to clubs / organizations, online magazines subscriptions).  

Recycle cardboard boxes. Curbside subscribers can leave cardboard by recycling bin (boxes flattened, 30” x 30” maximum please).

Holiday Lights. Christmas tree lights will be collected for recycling after the holidays under a pilot program at the 755 Walden Street Compost Site. Click here for collection dates.

Consider LED lights over incandescent. LED lights last longer, use less energy and are more environmentally friendly.

Click here for additional information on how to recycle LED Christmas lights.

Recycle items no longer needed. Also, the Goodwill trailer at Crosby’s Marketplace accepts the following for recycling (working and nonworking): desktop computers, printers, scanners and speakers.