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The holiday season is now in full swing – and along with good holiday cheer comes a lot of extra waste: 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 1 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 David Ross, Senior District Manager of Waste Management of Orange County. “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 www.wmorangecounty.com
and for our holiday schedule and tree recycling information, view our press release. With a little imagination and commitment, we can use this holiday season to create new traditions that will help preserve the environment, not only for our families, but also for future generations.
Best wishes and happy and safe holidays to all of our friends in Orange County!
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