The holiday season is a time for joy, togetherness and giving. It’s also a season with more shopping and waste, putting pressure on family budgets and recycling and trash carts. With a bit of creativity, you can make your holidays better for your wallet and the planet. Here are some ideas for reducing waste while also making holiday memories:
Gift-Giving
Homemade Gifts — Create personal gifts, like homemade baked goods or handcrafted art or jewelry. These items are thoughtful and special.
Experiences, Not Things — Instead of giving or asking for physical gifts, give or ask for the gift of experiences, such as movie tickets, a trip to the zoo or music lessons.
Reused and Recycled Products — If you choose to buy gifts, consider shopping at a secondhand store or looking for items made from reused or recycled materials.
Decorating and Party Planning
Natural Beauty — Embrace nature by using pinecones, twigs and dried flowers for decorations. These items can be placed into your green cart for composting after the holiday season.
Reusable Decorations — When buying new decorations, look for items that can be used year after year, like LED lights, cloth banners and wooden ornaments. Reusing decorations reduces the need for disposables, and also enhances family traditions.
DIY (Do It Yourself) — Get crafty and create your decorations from materials you already have. For example, turn old jars into candle holders or transform fabric and thread scraps into mini ornaments.
The holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate with loved ones. This year, focus on making memories rather than waste.For tips on how to handle holiday trees and other waste, look for our winter Recycling & Waste Newsletter inside the next edition of Around Alhambra. To learn more about all the programs that Republic Services provides in Alhambra, visit RepublicServices.com/municipality/Alhambra-ca, call 800-299-4898, or email [email protected].
