It’s not too late to cut holiday waste

Published 1:52 pm Monday, December 3, 2007

I’ll always remember what my mother told me once in regards to gifts for her birthday and the holidays: “If I can’t eat it, wear it or read it, I probably don’t need it.”

Though her noble message has stuck with me, even the best of us Eco Geeks can go a little overboard when it comes to holiday gifts and “the holidays” in general.

Our culture loves excess and it shows up every year in the landfill. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, Americans generate about 1 million extra tons of trash per week — per week — mostly in the form of packaging, boxes, gift wrap and leftover food, according to the Snohomish County Solid Waste.

That’s not surprising, of course.

Last year, when my husband and I hosted Christmas for just my immediate family, eight of us in all, I was overwhelmed by just the cardboard involved with all the gift and food packaging.

I found myself breaking down and stockpiling cardboard for weeks afterward in our garage, waiting for the recycling man to come to my curb.

Fortunately, we can all take steps to cut back on holiday waste.

Sure, you can give gifts of “experience,” such as tickets to the symphony or coupons for backrubs. You can buy donations to Heifer International and other charitable organizations in the name of a loved one.

But, thanks to Snohomish County’s Checklist for a Lighter Holiday (PDF), you can think outside the proverbial gift box.

Three areas caught my eye, including the idea of “consumable” gifts, such as candles, soap, notecards or foods such as special jams or homemade cookies; “durable” gifts, including well-made, long-lasting, even repairable toys, sports equipment, clothing, books, cooking or building tools, rather than cheap, breakable, trendy goods; and, finally, if you have the right recipient, “environmentally helpful” gifts such as canvas shopping bags, travel cups, garden hand tools, durable lunch bags, worm or compost bins, compost, gift certificates for a nursery or nature excursion, cloth napkins and rings.

When it comes to gift wrapping, you might try one of the following alternative options before heading to the store for brand-new tree-killing gift wrap – old calendar pages, old maps, old greeting cards for decoration or tags, lightly used paper, tissue and bows, used gift bags or baskets, used scarves, cloth napkins and pillow slips, paper bags decorated by you, used tin boxes and shoe boxes and yarn or raffia instead of ribbon or bows.

Learn more about how to cut waste during the holidays and throughout the year at the Snohomish County Solid Waste comprehensive brochures page here.

You’ll find everything from coloring activities to teach kids about composting to resources for getting rid of an old refrigerator. Look under “Tips for the Holidays!” for more on conserving resources during the holidays.