How to produce less waste this holiday season

Christmas comes with so much gifting and decorating, it produces a lot of waste. This holiday season, use these helpful tips to produce less waste and be more environmentally friendly. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the season and push aside the extra waste that comes with it. But with a little conscious effort, you can avoid being left with bags and bags of garbage.

Use up what you have

Did you stock up last year on ribbons, wrapping paper, and ornaments? Use them again! Using what you have is the best way to lessen your waste at the end of the season. This can be difficult to do when you start seeing stores put out the cutest new Christmas items. But if the items you have from last year are still in good condition, try not to let yourself get sucked into buying more.

Thrift what you can

Many people will send their used Christmas decorations to their local thrift store. This could be a goldmine for you while you decorate your house. Thrifting does take more time and effort, so make sure you put aside time to search for good finds. It’s also best to go into it with an open mind: if you have something very specific in mind, you can get discouraged if you don’t immediately find it. Have a broad idea of what you want. You’ll benefit by saving money on decor and you’ll find some unique pieces for your home. (Don’t forget the reusable bags!)

Consider ditching the usual wrapping paper

Most wrapping paper is not recyclable. You can end up with bags full of garbage from wrapping paper alone. It’s time to consider environmentally friendly ways of gifting. Packing paper is a good recyclable alternative. You can add a little bow to make it more festive. You can also use old newspapers if you have them around. Check out this article by MEC for more eco-friendly wrapping options.

Buy a real tree

This may be an unpopular opinion. Real trees do require more upkeep, they cost more over the years, and they drop needles everywhere. Also, how is cutting down a tree environmentally friendly? It’s all about the supply and demand of Christmas trees. For every tree that gets bought, farmers need to plant one to replace it. This leads to acres full of trees that are cleaning our air. Buying real trees ensures these farms stick around and continue cleaning our air. Real trees also don’t come in any packages, so by getting a real tree, you produce less waste.