The holiday season can be one of the most wasteful times of the year. Waste created by the traditions of giving gifts, decorating your home and entertaining friends and family, leave staggering effects on our landfill and recycling programs. This year try to use less, reuse more and strive for a waste-free holiday season. Here are some “green” suggestions:
“Green” gift buying:
Try buying gifts that will not only last a long time, but will help reduce the amount of waste generated during the holidays.
Give your own personal gift certificates for baby-sitting, home-cooked gourmet meals, or snow shoveling.
Give gifts, which are durable so items are not thrown away after limited use.
Give an experience: gifts like theatre, sporting event and musical tickets, a spa treatment or dinner out, instead of buying products that contain excess packaging.
Make homemade gifts such as food or crafts (these can be reusable too).
Pass on the green spirit: give a potted plant.
Christmas trees and home decorations:
Life after the holidays: greenery (wreaths and boughs) can be used as mulch in your garden, composted or put out for City collection (check your local calendar for dates and instructions) – please don’t throw them in your garbage.
Instead of spending money on commercial home decorations, try making some of your own. For example use strings of popcorn and cranberries instead of tinsel to decorate your tree. When the tree is taken down place popcorn and cranberry strings outside to feed the birds.
Useful and creative alternatives for the wrapping of gifts:
These ideas will reduce the amount of new paper you use and save money.
Holiday gift bags can be exchanged and reused over the years.
Instead of using paper to wrap gifts use a fabric wrap, for example a new tea towel, tablecloth, napkin, pillowcase or a bath towel for oils and bubble baths.
Use reusable containers such as baskets, wood boxes, cookie tins, decorative jars to contain your gifts. Simply decorate the container with fabric, poster paint or magazine cutouts. These gift boxes can in return be used again and again
Cards and gift tags:
To save trees and the energy used to produce festive cards and gift tags, use these handy tips to make use of excess paper and paper packaging. Keep your bows and ribbons to reuse next year.
Create your own holiday greeting cards using any extra cardboard packaging from consumer goods
Save any cards or wrapping paper used during this Christmas holiday for next Christmas. Saved cards and wrapping paper can be used for creation of unique gift tags. To make gift tags use pinking shears to cut out pictures on old cards or wrapping paper.
This year be creative and get the family involved. Children would love doing some of the projects mentioned above at home or school.
Please start by using less, reusing more and recycle.
Mother Earth will really appreciate your generous gifts.
TimminsGetClean wishes you all a very Merry Christmas.