The presents have been unwrapped, boxes emptied and holiday cards piled up. The holidays are a joyful, but unfortunately, a wasteful time of year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generate about 25 percent more waste during the holidays. This adds up to an extra 1 million tons of waste in landfills per week between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day!
So, what do we do with all of this festive trash? Here are few easy ideas with a big impact.
Recycle: Unfortunately, many forms of wrapping materials are not recyclable. Any wrapping paper that’s cellophane, laminated, colored foil, or glittery cannot be recycled…to the landfill it goes. Neither can ribbons or bows. This is also true for exceptionally decorative holiday cards. However, the solution for cards is easy – just tear off and recycle the paper portion only. Good news! That leaning tower of shipping boxes (even with the tape) is recyclable. Just make sure to break them down so they take up less space in the recycling trucks.
Reuse: One easy option is to keep some of those decorative boxes, gift bags, tissue paper, bows, ribbons and large pieces of glitzy wrapping paper to reuse for next year. According to Stanford University, if every American family wrapped just 3 presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields! Holiday cards can be repurposed into gift tags, present toppers, ornaments, bookmarks, advent calendars…the possibilities are endless. To get your creative juices flowing, check out this website. Many of these would be fun to do with the kids.
Repurpose: Donate reusable gift wrap, cards, boxes, or anything that can be used for arts & crafts and learning purposes. UpCycle Creative Reuse Center in Alexandria, VA is currently accepting items. For more information, visit their website. St Jude’s Ranch for Children also accepts fronts of your recycled cards in their effort to provide teens with life and work skills. Visit the website for more information, here.
Reduce: There are many thoughtful gift ideas that reduce waste and can save you some money. Give gifts that don’t require batteries, such as board games. Make some home baked goods or artwork. Offer a service such as babysitting. Give an experience instead of things such as movie tickets, gift certificates or museum memberships.
How do you plan to reduce waste next holiday season? Share in the comments below.
——-
Marietta Jemison is the Lead Agent at MKJ Homes LLC of KW Metro Center. She is a REALTOR®️, NVAR Top Producer, and an Accredited Staging Professional, ASP®. She is licensed in Virginia. She has over 20 years of sales and client account management, business development and team coaching experience, in the retail and legal services industries that she brings to her real estate services.
mkjhomes@kw.com | 703.282.2840 | www.mkjhomes.com
