Reduce Waste over the Holidays

It’s estimated that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, more than 1 million tons of additional waste is generated each week nationwide – and that doesn’t even take into account all the waste and resources used upstream to make all that new stuff we’re buying.

Here’s a list of ideas to help reduce waste - Try one or all of these ideas:

Send eCards or recycled-content cards
Recycle paper cards and send electronic holiday cards to reduce paper waste.

Give the gift of togetherness
Consider making a charitable donation in someone else's name. Or, give an experience or an event to remember, such as: Tickets to a concert or sporting event or memberships to a museum or zoo.

Take reusable cloth bags on shopping trips
Thousands of bags end up in our landfills during the holidays. Reduce the number of bags by bringing reusable shopping bags for holiday gift shopping.

Use earth-friendly gift wrapping alternatives
Try the following instead of traditional wrapping paper:
Scarves, handkerchiefs and bandannas, old posters and maps, newspapers (the comic sections works great), etc.

Use rechargeable batteries
About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run.

Turn off or unplug holiday lights during the day
This saves energy and lights last longer.

Recycle your live Christmas tree
Bring yours to Deschutes Recycling at no charge or have The Boy Scouts pick it up and make a small donation!

For more tips and ideas, visit ReThink Waste of Deschutes County's website.