Its that time of year and many of us are scrambling away getting gifts and wrapping presents! This is without a doubt the most expensive time of year, not just on your wallet but for the planet too. Holiday trash can put a damper on things if you aren’t eco-minded.
Did you know, America generates an extra 25 percent of trash during the holiday season? That translates to almost a million tons of trash! Thousands of miles of ribbon are thrown away, millions of trees are tossed, and billions of dollars worth of wrapping paper are all trashed. I’d like to ask – where does all of this trash go? Well, it goes in the landfill.
I may like to think that all of our trash is safely being transported to the landfill, unfortunately these uncovered areas are easily influenced by wind and can blow trash into our oceans and many other ecosystems with a negative effect on wildlife. In addition to landfills having negative effects on ecosystems they also produce landfill gas. This gas is composed of a mixture of greenhouse gases, including methane. Methane from landfills is the third largest source of human related methane emissions from the US. So, what can we do to prevent so much trash from going into our landfills.
Some Tips to Reduce Holiday Waste
The goods news is there are lots of ways to reduce trash during the holiday season. Once it’s time to wrap the presents, I try to avoid using single use wrapping paper. I use other alternatives like reusable gift wrapping, reusable gift bags, or even reusable tote bags. When it is time to go grocery shopping I remember to bring your own reusable bags so that single use bags don’t need to be used.
During the time of gift giving be sure to always try to save bags and ribbon from gifts that you receive for next time. Once the holiday is all over try recycling your tree. If you aren’t sure where to go to recycle your tree then just check your local county or city website. Use these tips to your advantage and don’t get stuck with trash. Don’t let all this waste and trash ruin your holiday! Enjoy the season with less trash and happy holidays from Zovargo!