Planning ahead for a Low-Waste Holiday Season
/The holiday season is approaching fast and with all of the decorations, carols, and parties can come some extra stress.
Often during stressful times, sustainability takes a back seat. One million extra tons of waste is created each week between Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. Making a plan now for what areas you are going to focus on during the season can help you prepare to create less waste and deal with less guilt about during the season.
With holiday parties comes holiday waste. If you are the one to host a party, there are some ways you can prep for lower waste. Make sure you have recycling bins in your house that can be found easily and are well labeled. Parties can get hectic and your guests may not be able to find you or interrupt you whenever they need to recycle a can or bottle. Decorating for a party low-waste can be intimidating, but the key is to keep it simple. Get a few staple pieces that can be pulled out each year and easily stored can keep things easier on the environment and your wallet. For new pieces, try pulling from nature that can be composted or shopping second hand.
Many of the gift-giving holidays are during this season too. It can be especially helpful to have a plan for the gifts you will be giving and gifts you will be receiving. To prep for gift shopping try and bring reusable bags to any stores you visit or if you prefer keep a bin near where you will unload your items where you can collect plastic bags to take to a grocery store for recycling. Look at alternative wrapping options for gifts such as scarves, fabric, or newspaper that is reused or reusable. If you do get disposable wrapping paper, get paper that does not have glitter or is metallic so that it can still be recycled. When choosing cards, use the same deciding factor and look for cards that can be recycled.
Choose hostess gifts that can be consumed such as olive oil, baked bread, or wine so that you it stays low waste. Buying Halloween treats to pass out or stocking stuffers leads to a lot of extra plastic waste, so try some candy options that come in paperboard boxes so they can be recycled or change things up and give items like temporary tattoos or sodas. You have control over the gifts you give others, but it is harder to control what others give you. One way to help is to have a running list of items that you want that way if anyone asks you can quickly send it to them and you can also use it to help budget yourself and curb impulse spending.
Food is a big element of the United States waste issue but that problem is multiplied during the holidays. Deciding ahead of time to make certain dishes with the recipes can help so you know what leftovers to save. Two popular methods of reusing leftovers are vegetable hash and shepherd’s pie. If you are decorating for a party consider the making the main centerpiece out of food so that it can serve as decoration and food.
You may not be able to do all of the things possible to eliminate waste from your holidays but choosing just a few ways to plan ahead can make a big difference. To figure out what will make the most difference for you it helps to determine what traditions are most important for you and your family and how much energy you have to make the changes then you can start planning all the small changes that can make a big difference by the end of this holiday season.
