During the holidays, we are all tempted to do things in excess. We shop a little more, we eat a little more and quite frankly, we probably tend to waste a little more than we should.?When you think about holiday fun, you usually don?t think about recycling but, it is possible to incorporate a few simple tips into your holiday routine to keep it green.
Thinking out of the box while packing one up
It might be tempting to de-clutter and make room for those holiday gifts but before you toss anything, see if it can be?repurposed or recycled! ?Getting a new computer? Organizations like?Nextsteprecycling.org?will repair donated computers and give them to underfunded schools, needy families, and nonprofits. Give that old cell phone a new life and help a victim of domestic abuse by donating it to?calltoprotect.org?or help a soldier connect to family and friends back home through?Cell Phones for Soldiers.
Instead of packing breakable gifts in stryofoam packing peanuts, consider using real peanuts. Swap out bubble wrap and?tissue?paper?for popcorn and shredded junk mail. Your gifts will be protected without having a negative impact on the environment.
Reuse what you have around the house to wrap gifts such as paper shopping bags,?interesting newspapers, magazines, paper maps, etc. Get creative and wrap odd-shaped gifts in a scarf, t-shirt, leftover cloth or felt from an old project. Reuse glass and tin containers to pack gifts in and?ask your children?to help you create one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly gift wrap that is sure to be remembered.
Keep your post holiday traditions green
After the holidays your Christmas tree may not be so green but you still can be! Find a?local recycling center?through websites like earth911 and make sure that you dispose your tree in a safe, responsible manner.
I don?t know about you, but I cannot seem to throw out my?Christmas cards?but often wonder what would be a better use for them then sitting in a box collecting dust.??If there are special cards that you would like to hold on to but don?t have the space, consider scanning or photographing them for your digital photo album. You can even turn them into a book using a service like?Cards for Keeps. Crafty types can save the fronts of their favorites to use in another project. Not so crafty? Then you can donate the cards to?St. Jude?s Ranch for Children?who will recycle used greeting cards and turn them into new holiday and greeting cards.
Since everything shipped comes in some sort of box filled with packing material it is a good idea to separate it all and check with your?local recycling center? to find out what items will be accepted. If you find yourself with mounds and mounds of those little white tubes of foam piling up you might consider checking out these?creative uses for packing peanuts?before just dumping them in the trash. Brown paper and?tissue paper?can be set aside and reused in many different ways. Many wrapping paper materials cannot be recycled so try to give it a new life by?creating new uses for used wrapping paper.
Not only does recycling help the planet, it can be a real money saver. Why buy when you can reuse? It only takes a few changes in our routine to keep the money in our pocket and waste out of our landfills.
How do you keep your holidays green? ?If you have any tips to share I would love to hear them!
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