i'm dreaming of a trash-free christmas...

It's the most wonderful time of the year, but when you take a second to think about all the waste that is created during this time, it is a little hard to get in the Christmas spirit. In American, 25% more garbage is thrown away from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day - thats about 1 million extra tons every week, but it doesn't have to be like that.

Wrapping last minute gifts? Consider using wrapping paper that doesn't have any fancy sparkles, glitter, metallic, or velvet decals. That kind of paper is pretty, but (along with bows and ribbons) not recyclable. Unless you plan on opening gifts very carefully so you can reuse the wrapping paper, I would encourage you to find an alternative.

Having a Christmas party? It is ludicrous to even entertain the idea of using your regular tableware with all those guests. I mean, does anyone even own that many forks?I know it defeats the purpose of disposable cutlery, but if you must opt for plastic utensils, wash and reuse them at your next big event. A few minutes spent washing 15 forks (even to only be used one more time), prevents 15 more from being made, and 15 more ending up in a landfill. Choosing paper plates over styrofoam is another great, easy option, same with paper cups versus plastic one. All still single-use/disposable, but at least they break down better than plastic.

Know there is going to be leftovers? Encourage guests to bring their own containers to send some food home with them. Not only does this eliminate the plastic bag you might have used otherwise, but also no food goes to waste.

Get a gift you do not love/need? Donate. Donate. Donate! Graciously accept it and thank whoever it was from for thinking of you, but then give it to someone else who will cherish it.

Disposing of your Christmas tree? Most places offer pickup for you live trees after the Christmas season is over, but cutting it up into smaller pieces makes it much easier. Make sure to remove any and all decorations, that means every pesky strand of tinsel.

Artificial tree? Again, donate! Many thrift stores and charities will gladly accept. You can certainly try to bring your artificial tree to your local recycling center, but only certain ones will actually accept it.

Didn't do any of these things? Now you know for next year!

xoxo