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Ken Ryan
District Manager of
Waste Management of North County and Coast Waste Management
Lori Somers
Community and Municipal Relations Representative
Charissa McAfee
Market Area Manager of Customer Experience
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The holiday season is now in full swing, and along with good holiday cheer comes a lot of extra waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s as compared to any other time of the year. The extra waste amounts to about one million extra tons per week.
“We can all save money and time and reduce our impact on the environment by looking for more creative, sustainable gift options,” said Ken Ryan, District Manager. “Whether it’s buying products made from organic or recycled content or giving the gift of time to a favorite charity, if each of us tried a few waste reduction efforts, we would see a significant positive impact during the holiday season. The packaging from gifts, food waste from the large meal preparations and decorations really starts to add up.”
Here are a number of ways to make this holiday season greener:
- Consider giving no-waste gifts, such as music or sports lessons, memberships to a gym, symphony or museum, favors like babysitting or tickets to a sporting event or concert. Find out the gift recipient’s favorite charity and make a donation in his or her honor, or commit to volunteering time with that organization.
- Give potted plants, flowers or trees that the recipient can plant in the garden or yard – not only will it be a gift that continues to be a beautiful reminder of the holidays all throughout the year, but it will also provide benefits to the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the air.
- If you are attending a party or dinner and are bringing a dish for the meal or an edible gift for the host, be sure to package it in a reusable container. If the item is a gift, place it on a decorative holiday plate, in a washable kitchen container or wrap it with a holiday towel.
- Send holiday greetings via e-mail – it’s a great way to share photos and keep in touch more frequently. If you send cards in the mail, make them with last year’s cards or wrapping paper.
For more tips, visit: northcounty.wm.com/press/2006/holiday.
For information on Christmas tree recycling and our holiday schedule, visit: northcounty.wm.com/press/2006/trees.asp.
With a little imagination and commitment, we can use this holiday season to create new traditions that help preserve the environment, not only for our families, but also for future generations.
Best wishes for happy and safe holidays for all of our friends in North County!
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