These are the ways you can reduce waste during the holidays
FILE-A Christmas tree lies on a sidewalk before it is picked up by the City of Toronto on a scheduled garbage collection day in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The holiday season is a time for gift giving and receiving, decorating, and feasting on a large meal with loved ones.
And while these traditions are synonymous with many homes, it can result in inordinate amounts of waste.
The average household produces roughly 25% more waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s day, and this extra trash equates to 25 million tons of garbage, per the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Separately, Americans use 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper annually, mostly during the holiday season. Unfortunately, various types of wrapping paper are not 100% paper and cannot be recycled, according to the Ecology Center.
Fortunately, there are ways to reduce waste for environmental sustainability while reveling in the holiday season, and here’s what you need to know.
How can I reduce waste during the holidays?
Shopping for gifts
When shopping for holiday gifts, it is good to buy items with minimal packaging and/or made with recycled materials. You should check product labels to determine if the item can be recycled and whether it is made from recyclable materials.
Decorations with lights
Decorating your house or Christmas tree with more energy efficient LEDs (light emitting diodes) strings rather than the larger, old-fashioned lights.
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According to the EPA, LEDs are small light sources that are energy efficient when producing individual colors, many using up to 90% less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light.
You should also turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day. Doing so will not only save energy but will also help your lights last longer.
Holiday food
At holiday gatherings there’s typically a large feast and leftovers and, if this is the situation at your home, the best practice is to store leftovers in reusable containers, and to buy food gifts with as little packaging as possible.
Recycling
The EPA says that it's a good idea to wrap gifts in recycled or reused wrapping paper or newspaper. Also, remember to save or recycle used wrapping paper. And you should also limit the number of bags thrown out by bringing reusable cloth bags for holiday gift shopping. The EPA notes that thousands of paper and plastic shopping bags end up in landfills every year.
Christmas trees
Having a real tree or a fake tree can come down to personal preference but regardless of which one you have, it can still be eco-friendly.
Artificial trees are a more sustainable option if the item is used for at least 10 years, but real trees can be a good choice if they are properly composted after the holiday season. Live trees can be recycled or mulched, Gary Cooke, senior director of sustainability for Baylor University, explained in a university release.