‘Greening’ the Holidays

There are over 30 holidays celebrated in the USA each year. Holidays can sometimes be stressful, and most of us over-spend or over-indulge during all the festivities. Holiday gift-giving, excessive dinner parties, and the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality takes a toll on the environment. Americans create 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Personal choices and behaviors can significantly reduce waste before it ever enters our homes and lives. Making a few simple changes can make a huge difference minimizing our impact on the planet. BUY LESS, CHOOSE WELL, and MAKE IT LAST! These “green choices” also save money, simplify the holidays, and reduce stress! Here are some tips from the UCRRA Recycling Outreach Team:

Holiday Shopping & Zero Waste Gift Giving Ideas

Try to avoid online shopping. Consider the carbon footprint of these packages shipped from all over the world. Consider shopping locally and supporting local green businesses. Treasures and homemade gifts can be found at thrift stores and craft fairs!
Buy gifts that don’t need batteries or if you buy a gift that requires batteries, choose to purchase rechargeable batteries that are much more readily recyclable in special take-back programs.
Make a donation to a charitable organization in someone’s honor.
Enjoy experiences instead of ‘things’. Take a cooking class together, tickets to an event/show, go on an adventure or have a movie night. MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!
Give a gift that keeps on giving! Reusable mugs, bags, straws, etc. make a great gift that will ‘give back’ to the Earth.
Pay for a subscription services or a bill for someone (water, electric, day care, groceries).
Make homemade gifts! For example cookies, breads, a photo album, ornament or body scrubs. There are lots of easy ideas online.
Give the gift of a chore -rake leaves, reorganize a closet, or watch a pet/child.

Zero Waste Gift Wrapping Ideas

Wrap the gift in recyclable paper! Look for wrapping paper with the highest post-consumer content. This means that fewer trees had to be cut down for the wrapping paper to be made. According the EPA, recycled paper generates 74% less air pollution and uses 50% less water compared to new paper; during the production process. This also applies to gift bags, gift tags and cards!
Wrap the gift in old calendars, newspaper, maps, pages from old books, etc.
Wrap it as part of the gift- body scrub in a towel, a gift card in socks, or a book in a blanket! Two in one present!
Put the gift in a reusable gift basket or bag!
Use old greeting cards as gift tags.
Send electronic cards instead of paper cards.

Zero Waste Dinner Party Ideas

Food is too good to waste! The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that between 30 and 40 percent of the food supply goes to waste each year, with the heaviest losses occurring during the winter holidays. The Dinner Party Guest-imator is here to help plan your next dinner party so less food is wasted. Visit Save The Food for more tips and recipes on how to help reduce food waste.
Ask guests to bring their own table settings to reduce Single Use Plastics. Plus, this allows guests to have a container to take home leftovers! Who doesn’t love leftovers?!
Opt for bulk snacks and beverages, not individually packaged ones. Serve bite-sized or finger foods to minimize plate and utensil use.
Love your leftovers! Turn them into soups, casseroles, or share them with a neighbor or someone in need.
Compost food scraps. Visit Contact us at 845-336-0600 to find a food scrap drop off program near you.

Packaging

Most of our gifts during the holiday season come in packaging like cardboard, paper, plastic, Styrofoam and other materials. Some of that material can be recycled but not all of them may be recyclable. It is best to know your recycling program guidelines. Contact your recycling service provider to find out what items are recyclable or not.

Cardboard can be recycled, but the boxes need to be empty, dry and flatten. Remove any inner materials (packing pillows, Styrofoam peanuts, paper, etc.).
Packing pillows (deflated) and bubble wrap can be recycled with plastic bags and film plastic at the grocery/retail stores.
Plastic packaging including Styrofoam and packing peanuts should be disposed of in the trash or you can ask if anyone could reuse it to ship packages to their family and friends.
Ribbons and bows are considered ‘tanglers’ that can jam recycling equipment. They are not recyclable but can easily be reused!

According to a study by the Environment Protection Agency (2017) 30% of all waste is containers and packaging. Try to avoid companies who over-package products or ask for reduced packaging options when ordering online.