‘Tis The Season For…Garbage
I hope everyone had a Fantastic Thanksgiving- One that was relaxing and enjoyable with Family and Friends.
We had Thanksgiving at our house this year and as tradition holds in my household, the kids and I put up the Christmas Tree the night of Thanksgiving. We do this every year as a way to kick off the Holiday Season.
As I was getting out some of the Decorations, Ornaments and Lights- It crossed my mind that ‘Tis The Season for Shopping, Heavy Traffic around the Shopping Malls, Rush-Rush-Rush trying to get everything done…
But not only all of that the makes the Season complete and in an odd way fun, It is also the Season for Loads of Trash! Think about it. We throw away old strands of Christmas Lights that either don’t work or we are just tired of. We have Broken Christmas ornaments, linens that we replace, Clothing that we get rid of, Trees that often times go to the Dump…
I would be curious to know exactly what percentage of Garbage we accumulate in the Dump over the last 2 months of the year…and first few weeks of every year.
This made me do a little bit of Research that I thought I would share with my Turning Houston Green Friends. I will be looking at options besides Trash Dump throughout the rest of the year…and will share those as well, but for now- Here are some ideas.
- Christmas Lights- I ran across a site that will Recycle Old Incandescent Christmas Lights for FREE! They also sell Christmas LED Lights and Pre-Lit Trees. When you send in something to be Recycled, they will email you 15% off Coupon to be used at their site. The company is HolidayLEDS.com and they even recommend that you get together with your friends and family to reduce Shipping Emissions.
- Christmas Trees- Personally, because of allergies I have to use an Artificial Tree but if you use a Real Tree of the Holidays, don’t forget to Recycle it! The City of Houston, The Woodlands and most Surrounding areas have options. Here is a link for a Google Search on Recycling Christmas Trees Just Click Here around Houston:
- Artificial Trees- We get tired of them, We upgrade/downgrade and often times they end up in the Dump. I have been known in the past to sell them at Garage Sales, but I think I am going to try something new. The Women’s Shelter in Houston takes ALL kinds of donations for displaced Families that are victims of Violence. Often times, these Women have small children. I am going to send over Christmas Decorations from now on. Here is a link And to let you know, I got this idea from a Fantastic Person. You can read her blog here <<—
- Clothing- Women’s and Children’s clothing can also be taken to the Women’s Shelter, Men’s clothing is always welcome at other Organizations such as Goodwill and Salvation Army. Do you know of other Organizations that need clothing? I would love to hear about it.
- Old Bed Sheets- Have you ever made Curtains out of old bed sheets? I’m using some as a Christmas Tree Skirt this year that I jazzed up.
- Cardboard Boxes and Paper- Recycle Bins of course! HEB usually has Cardboard Recycling available in their parking lot and so do many Schools.
- Odds and Ends of Other Recycling Information for all areas of the United States can be found at Earth911.com - They are an excellent resource on where to Recycle Electronics and about anything else close to YOUR home.
The more you think about it, the more you realize how much we send to the Trash Dump- Not just during the Holidays, but all year. Bed Pillows, Shoes, Old Rags, Broken Toys and all kinds of other items.
What are your ideas of Recycling Old Holiday Items? My goal is to send less than one Bag of Trash to the Dump of the Holiday Season. Share your ideas with me!
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:00 am
Hey Steph..
I love your ideas and thoughts on the trash we generate during the holidays. Here are a few ideas to add to your list.
How many trash bags of wrapping paper do you fill? You know the famous game of someone holding open the black trash bag while another person unwraps the box, wads up the paper and throws it across the room for a “hoop shot” into the trash bag. This can be just as much fun, by using the comic section of the newspaper as wrapping paper. It’s colorful, and it covers the 3 R’s..reuse, reduce and recycle.
Gift tags…use last year’s Christmas cards as the gift tag. It’s also fun to re read the cards from previous years. Cut the front of the card and use it as the gift tag.
Gift giving is inherently an environmental burden, from traveling to the store, to its final destination, there’s nothing “green”. Instead of buying something, why not make a donation to a charitable organization of choice in the name of your gift recipient.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Hi Teri,
That is so true. We usually only get one bag from wrapping paper, but all of those boxes and stuff from the toys. I’m going to try and find something to do with those.
The tags for next year are a good idea.
I’m going to try and do some research to see what else the City and outer areas will recycle over the Holiday seasons. It would be nice to have local options. You can only make and reuse so much after all.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Steph, I love your site, thoughts and ideas. Thanks so much for your efforts.
Here are a few ideas to add to what you have…hope they are useful to many!
GIFTS/TOYS
The key here is to buy items that have the least impact on our environment without sacrificing personalization.
•Consider shopping second-hand or antique shops
•Give gift certificates or tickets for services or special events
•Buy items made of natural materials such as wooden or paper instead of plastic
•Give books or magazines instead of purchasing items that won’t be used
•Buy consumable items such as candles or perfume rather than items not needed
•Purchase items that are recyclable made from recycled materials
COOKING
•Compost your kitchen scraps (fruit and vegetables, no meat or grease)
•Buy drinks in large containers rather than individual
•Buy local at farmer’s market for fresh food items such as ingredients or breads
•Use local, independent catering businesses/services
ENTERTAINING
•Use cloth napkins, silver and glass ware, ceramic mugs and reusable plates
•Choose paper disposables over plastic or Styrofoam
•Rent party furnishings or decorations rather than buying things you’ll only use once
•Reuse plastic margarine or yogurt containers to store or give holiday leftovers.
DECORATING
OLD decorations –
Reuse last year’s decorations
Donate to schools, shelters or other non profit
NEW decorations
Consider natural items such as pine cones, berries or dried flowers
RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE!
You can help preserve the environment by dropping off your trees at any of the 14 drop-off locations provided by The City of Houston Solid Waste Management and Living Earth Technology Co. beginning December 26, 2008.
Homes with City of Houston Automated Garbage Collection also have the option to leave their trees at the curb for collection. Please remove tinsel, plastic bags, tree stands and water bowls.
A list of Christmas tree recycling drop-off centers will be available beginning December 3, 2008 at http://www.houstonsolidwaste.org.
Off to dream of a Green Chrismas….Happy Holidays to all!
December 16th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
[...] Ok, this update is just short and sweet! A follow up to ‘Tis the Season for Garbage [...]