The Green Room

Make recycling a post-holiday tradition

By Walmart Green Room on December 20, 2012 Leave a comment

From decorating the Christmas tree to wrapping gifts and hosting parties, there’s a lot of preparation that goes into celebrating the holiday season. And when it’s over, you’re left with presents, memories—and an incredible amount of waste. In fact, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than during any other time of the year. Wrapping paper, holiday cards, even the Christmas tree all contribute to the tons of waste produced every year during this time. Keep your sustainable holiday spirit alive by making recycling one of your post-holiday traditions.

Here are some ways you and your family can reduce, reuse and recycle this season:

• Recycle the Christmas tree. Buying a fresh tree adds a nice ambiance to your home, but leaving it on your curb to be picked up by the garbage truck once you take it down isn’t sustainable. Because real trees are biodegradable, there are a number of ways you can repurpose them after the ornaments have been packed away—from mulch to a backyard bird feeder. Many communities also have drop-off sites to recycle them. Check if there’s a site near you.

• Keep the wrapping. Save gift wrap and ribbon that are still in good condition in a safe place for next year. If you are going to dispose of it, make sure to recycle it, separating it from the other holiday trash to make for an easier cleanup.

• Donate electronics. Receiving a new eReader this year? Don’t toss your old one. Donate gadgets to organizations such as Goodwill or check out our Electronics Trade-In Program, where you can earn an eGift Card good at Walmart.com by responsibly trading in your used electronics.

• Clean out your closet. Clothes are a popular gift for the holidays— a trendy tie, a warm jacket, enough underwear and socks to last a lifetime, and yes, that sweater that your grandmother gave you. Whether you’re cleaning our your closet to make room for all of the fabulous new clothes you got as gifts, or trying to find a new home for Grandma’s sweater, donate the clothes you won’t be wearing anymore to a great charity. Our 12 Days of Giving campaign honored a few local organizations that are helping people do just that. 

• Shine a new light on lights. If you haven’t gotten around to switching to longer-lasting LED holiday lights yet and your old ones have reached the end of their lifetime, don’t throw them out—recycle them! Several cities and communities around the country organize group recycling efforts to collect unwanted holiday lights. In fact, St. Louis Green is partnering with 98 Walmart stores in Missouri to serve as drop-off sites for holiday lights. Once recycled, the lights are sent to manufacturers to be used in other products.

Recycling holiday waste is a good way to start 2013 with a clean slate. What is your best post-holiday sustainability advice?  How will you get ready for a new year filled with sustainability?