Compost your holiday food scraps. Look for the purple carts.
From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, household waste increases by more than 25%. Much of that excess packaging, paper and food ends up in a landfill.
Modifying choices for less waste can be easier than you think.
Here are some ideas for the holidays — and all year long!
Recycle right
- No tinsel, holiday lights or wrapping paper in the recycling.
- Reuse boxes as long as possible. Flatten them before recycling. Also consider programs such as Give Back Box.
- Rinse and clean bottles, cans, jugs and tubs. Food-contaminated items cannot be recycled.
- No Styrofoam or plastic bags in recycling.
- Never place rechargeable batteries or devices in recycling or trash. Learn how to manage batteries at their end of life.
- Recycle your real Christmas tree into mulch if your community offers such a program.
Be smart about holiday cards
- If you send holiday cards, be sure they’re printed on recycled paper.
- Make sure your cards can also be recycled. Avoid cards with glitter, gems and other embellishments as these are not recyclable.
- Handmade cards are always a treat. Find inspiration at CVWMA’s Pinterest.
Wrap green
- Reuse tissue paper, bows, ribbons, gifts bags and wrapping paper, if you use them at all.
- Create your own gift tags from leftover cardstock.
- Wrap with newspapers, magazines, comics pages, brown paper grocery bags or other papers you can find. These papers are recyclable.
- Make packaging part of the gift! For example, wrap gifts for the kitchen in nice, new kitchen towels.
See Ecocult’s ideas for eco-friendly gift wrap.
Note: CVWMA does not accept shiny, metallic or glitter wrapping paper.
Just say ‘no’ to single-use plastic
- Use reusable dishes, utensils, cloth table covers and napkins. Pull out the classy stuff you never use! Dust off Grandma’s crystal.
- Decorate with plants, fabrics and treasured family objects instead of plastic tchotchkes and disposables.
- Set out recycling containers for guests to drop their bottles and cans. Have another for composting food waste.
The Recycling Partnership offers a guide to green holiday decorating.
More help for the holidays
Green Your Holiday Season (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
How to Reduce Waste This Holiday Season (Apartment Guide)