This holiday season, let’s give our planet the gift of less plastic.
5 Tips for Using Less Plastic This Holiday Season
The holidays are all about joy, giving, sharing and loving, but it is also a time of self-reflection. Did you know that every year, household waste in the U.S grows by more than 25 percent during the holiday season —from Thanksgiving to New Year’s day? That’s a whopping number.
It’s not a surprise that consumerism skyrockets over the holidays. We eat more, shop more, and spend more money on gift wrapping than any other time of the year. That of course, adds to the amount of waste we produce. In fact, every week we add an extra 1 million tons of garbage to our landfills, thanks to holiday trash. Mind-blowing.
To help minimize the amount of plastic waste this season, here are five tips.
Reuse Your Decor or Choose Natural Decorations
If you have nice decorations already, get creative and reuse them to give you home decor a new holiday look. If you must buy decorations, go for ones that can be reused or choose natural materials whenever possible. A real garland is far more appealing than a plastic one, plus it fills your home with that lovely, signature Christmas scent. Also, try to stay away from that fake snow which is potentially carcinogen and pollutes the environment.
Say No to Oyster/Clamshell Packaging
This type of plastic packaging is a real pain to open. Save your friends and family the frustration —and potential injury— of trying to break their gift free from its plastic jail, while you also keep landfills from receiving this type of material.
Avoid Single-Use Plastic
Doing the dishes after a holiday meal might not sound like something you’d want to do but using real dishes, cups and cutlery rather than those festive, plastic ones, will not only make your guests feel special, it saves the planet some suffering. Bringing your cup to cafes is also a great way to stay away from single-use plastic.
Go for Natural Gift-Wrapping Materials
Make your gifts stand out by choosing natural materials to wrap them with. There’s something chic and rustic at the same time, about using fabric, newspaper or recycled paper to wrap gifts. Finish them off with a nice fabric bow or some rope. No plastic tape needed.
Keep Things Simple
All that stuff we get for the holidays is usually not even necessary. Keeping things simple in regards to buying gifts and items in general, will save you money and reduce your plastic footprint.
If you’re looking for the best waste and recycling services for your job-site, home or business in Maryland and West Virginia, you’re looking for Sunrise Sanitation. Contact us today for more information.
