Go Green with your holiday gifts!
Did you know? Americans throw away 25% more trash during the
Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year.
The extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1
million extra tons per week.
What you can do:
1. Consider buying or making gifts that have less packaging. Books
purchased from our Scholastic Book Fair, December 7-11, not only
support our school library but also support an environmentally
responsible publisher. Consider original gifts made by local artists
or gift cards for local services, stores, and restaurants, especially
ones who support Mathews. Experiential gifts, such as an art class, a
horseback riding lesson, or a trip to the rock climbing gym, are
wonderful alternatives.
2. Consider your wrapping materials. Use cards and wrapping paper
made from recycled paper. Re-use old holiday cards by turning them
into gift tags and wrapping decorations.
Recycle used gift wrap. Gift wrap is recyclable, unless it’s
laminated, metallic, or has a bunch of tape stuck to it. As for
packaging remember, the City now accepts cardboard and paperboard, and
any plastics #1-#7 in its Single Stream Recycling.
Packing peanuts can be returned to Tesoros Trading Company, 1500 S Congress Ave., and styrofoam can be recycled at Cycled Plastics http://www.cycledplastics.com/Services.html.
Happy Green Holidays!
