Holiday recycling at home
Christmas seems to generate its own peculiar mix of waste, which means special recycling issues for residential customers. Below are details about some common holiday waste and what EarthSavers can and cannot accept. (Remember that these restrictions are from the recycling processor, and have to do with details of the reclamation process.)
Wrapping paper – alternatives
First things first – of the three environmental “R“s, (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), Recycle may be the least important. If we can reduce the amount that we consume, and reuse what we already have, we can avoid the recycle altogether. Here’s another R for you as Christmas approaches – Reconsider using wrapping paper. Some alternatives:
- If you take the newspaper, save all of the green & red color ads (that will be most of them) beginning now and wrap your presents in them. They’ll be just as colorful and interesting as any wrapping paper you buy in the store.
- Use gift bags, then reuse them over & over & over
- Wrap your gifts in decorative cloth. They’ve been doing it in Japan for centuries (see Furoshiki).
What to place in your recycle bin:
YES:
- bows, ribbons, wrapping, etc. made from paper
- cardboard boxes
- tissue paper
- Styrofoam peanuts (please bag!)
NO:
- bows, ribbons, wrapping, etc. made from metallic foil
- bubble mailers
- plastic wrap, twisty ties, misc. packaging (unless marked with a recycle symbol)
There’s a lot more info on how to keep your holiday celebrations eco-friendly at Earth911.com and Use Less Stuff.com