Waste-wise holiday tips
Sustainable living › Waste prevention › Waste-wise holiday tips
Plan for less waste this holiday season and when the holidays are over, reuse or recycle what's left.
View the AM Northwest story about how and why to recycle and reuse your holiday trash.
With heightened concern about the environment and economy, many of us are looking for ways to make our holidays less expensive, less wasteful and less stressful. By focusing on time spent with friends and family and following a few simple guidelines, you can plan for less waste and more joy this holiday season.
Here are a few helpful tips to help you plan for less waste this holiday season:
Give gifts without giving garbage
Homemade gifts are more personal, can be less expensive and don't have wasteful packaging. Give a gift basket of homemade goodies, a wreath made of dried flowers from your garden or build a birdhouse.
Handmade items from specialty stores or craft fairs are rarely wrapped in disposable packaging, and support local artists and businesses. Check out these local options for handmade gifts:
Portland Saturday Market
Etsy.com (search for Portland artists)
Handmade NW
Crafty Wonderland sale on Dec. 13
The Chinook Book Green Gift Guide features local shopping and gifts of experience at discounted prices:
Give a gift of time, talent or experience
Take someone to a play, concert or the Oregon Zoo. Make gift certificates for a special dinner, pet sitting or house cleaning. Offer your talents at gardening, photography or financial planning. Sign someone up for lessons in music, foreign language or a sport. Better yet, teach someone a skill you possess – knitting, furniture building or playing the piano, for example.
Give gifts that benefit the environment
Check out Portland Audubon Society Nature Store's holiday open house Dec. 12 and 13 visit Portland Audubon
Give gifts made from recycled content materials. For some local shopping options, seeMetro's buy recycled gift guide.
For even more green gift ideas, check out some of these holiday guides for an of recycled content and sustainable gifts:
Green Gift Guide (California Department of Conservation)
TreeHugger 2009 holiday gift guide
Green gifts for the holidays (Environmental Defense Fund)
Yahoo's Green Gift Guide
Cool People Care's website makes some gift recommendations that directly benefit the environment, and also provides downloadable gift tags that explain why...visit Christmas is not your birthday
Other ideas:
- promote reuse – give antiques or unique retro items Shop Vintage Portland
- give a membership to an environmental organization
- buy carbon offsets for travel Bonneville Foundation's carbon offset program
- build or buy a compost bin
- give a plant for the house or garden.
Buy local
The Chinook Book is a coupon book full of great discounts and deals for local, sustainable products and businesses. Buy one for just $20 on-line or from many retailers across the Portland metropolitan area...Visit the Chinook Book site
Support local businesses and service providers by giving gift certificates for a restaurant, spa day, massage or other rewarding experience.
Packaging and wrapping
Think about packaging before you buy. Purchase gifts with little or no packaging, or packaging that is recyclable. Be creative with wrapping and containers-put gifts in containers that can be used again, or wrap in fabric or use boxes, paper and bows saved from last season. Buy recycled-content gift wrap and greeting cards or make your own from paper bags, newsprint, old maps or other paper you have on hand. Paint, draw, stamp or print designs on the paper. Avoid wrapping gifts in materials that are not recyclable or reusable, such as foil or plastic coated paper and tissue.
Learn about Furoshiki, techniques for wrapping items with a scarf or cloth inspired by Japanese culture and origami... visit the Furoshiki website
Recycle your Christmas tree
Recycle your tree, wreath or swag with your curbside yard debris or use a drop site or pick up service operated by a community group or businesses near you. Call Metro Recycling Information at 503-234-3000 for information about where and how to recycle your tree.
When the holidays are over, reuse or recycle what's left
Save bows, containers, packing peanuts and wrapping paper for reuse next year. Make this year's holiday cards into gift tags for next year. Recycle paper, boxes, cards and peanuts that you can't reuse, as well as holiday catalogs and magazines. Call Metro Recycling Information to find out where and how to recycle these items.
Donate usable items that are replaced by gifts you receive
Do you want to get rid of any electronics, toys, household furnishings, clothing and accessories? If they are still in good working condition they can be donated to charitable organizations... see Metro Recycling Information's list of charities that accept items for reuse