Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash than any other time of year. This extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about one million extra tons per week!
Approximately 2.6 billion Christmas cards are sold each year in the United States – that’s enough to fill a football field 10 stories high. If we each sent one less card or sent an e-card instead, we’d save 50,000 cubic yards of paper. If we reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the world. Or if we wrapped just three presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.
The following tips have been brought to you by Metro Waste Authority – your holiday recycling authority. If you have additional questions about recycling holiday waste, contact Metro Waste Authority at 515-244-0021.
Here are some easy ways to recycle, reuse and wrap up this holiday season:
- Recycle & Reuse
- Tips & Ideas
Recycle with Curb It!:
- Wrapping paper
- Greeting cards
- Catalogs
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- Junk mail/coupons
- Cardboard
- Gift boxes
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Reuse for Another Purpose:
- Collect and reuse all in-tact metallic wrapping paper, bows and ribbons (trash all unusable pieces).
- Call the Plastic Loosefill Products Council (1-800-828-2214) for the names of local businesses and private mailing centers that reuse Styrofoam packaging materials.
- Reuse disposable plates, silverware and glasses
- Save plastic/tin food containers that goodies come in
- Gift boxes that can be flattened can be reused
- Wrap future gifts in large, in-tact wrapping paper pieces
- Cut up and use holiday cards as gift tags for next year's gifts
Appliances & Electronics:
- Consider giving away old appliances, toys, games or clothing to a local charity or thrift store if you received new ones. Appliances can also be recycled at the Metro Park East Landfill.
- Your old electronics (TV, mp3 player, computer) can be recycled at the Regional Collection Center in Bondurant.
- Discarded cell phones may be donated to Domestic Violence Programs.
Trees & Lights:
- If you bought a live Christmas tree with roots, be sure to plant it or consider donating it to a local school or nursing home to plant on their grounds.
- If you bought a cut tree, remove all decorations including tinsel and lights before recycling. Find out the dates of your community’s Christmas tree pickup.
- Recycle your broken or burned-out holiday lights by mailing them to: Christmas Light Source Recycling Program, 1923 6th Ave., Ft. Worth, Texas 76110. The bulbs will be recycled and proceeds will be used to purchase books for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
Green Holiday Shopping Tips:
- Shop with reusable bags
- Recycle plastic bags at the grocery store
- Purchase sturdier gift bags that can be reused and save the ones you receive
- Purchase rechargeable batteries for new toys or electronics
- Buy recycled-content wrapping paper, holiday cards and envelopes
- Send electronic greeting cards
Green Gift Wrapping Ideas:
- Games or toys for a child can go in a new backpack or pillow case
- Any kitchen gift can be wrapped in a colorful dish towel, tablecloth or oven mitt
- Place home-baked cookies in a reusable tin box or kitchen container
- Wrap gifts with brown paper bags from the store, used magazines or the newspaper
- For shipping a gift, reuse the foam peanuts from another package, or use unbuttered popcorn for packing