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We seem to forget the amount of waste that piles up after a holiday get-together. From food containers to wrapping paper to packaging – it can add up pretty quickly, especially for those with large families who really make the most of Christmas celebrations. By some accounts, nearly a quarter of the waste Americans generate in any given year is amassed during the holidays.
What can you do to prepare for the onslaught of refuse? In some cases, the trick is to avoid escalating the situation by downsizing your gifts.
1) Recycle
In more progressive cities you’ll find recycling bins are larger and more frequently picked up than the trash bins. Follow that lead and make a concerted effort to recycle all your paper, glass and aluminum products that can be recycled.
2) Donate
If Christmas is a time when your wardrobe is replenished/updated, go through your closet and pull out all the stuff you’re not wearing anymore and donate it to your favorite non-profit. Salvation Army and Goodwill are good places to donate more than just clothes, so look around for goods that you aren’t using anymore.
3) Reuse
If you’ve got the space for it, take those boxes used for presents and break them down to where they can be easily stored, yet reused for birthdays and next year’s Christmas. The same goes for bows, which are generally not recyclable, but can be stored for use next year.
4) Know what can’t be recycled
Much of the gift wrapping utilized during the holidays is not the type of paper that can be recycled. Giftwrap and tissue paper can be stored alongside your boxes and bows for later use.
5) Clean your recyclables
Before you toss your bottles and cans in the recycle bin, be sure to rinse them out. You’ll leave less of a sticky mess (which attract pests), plus you’ll ensure that you’re not contaminating a big bin full of otherwise clean recyclables.
6) Downsize
Instead of purchasing big box items that take yards of gift wrap and feet of ribbon, consider something like tickets, certificates, memberships, subscriptions and other items that are meaningful, yet require nothing more than an envelope.
7) Plan as a community
If you live in a community that will pitch in to work together to solve the holiday waste problem, rent a dumpster and place it strategically in your neighborhood so everyone can dispose of their holiday waste and their Christmas trees.
Much of the gift wrapping utilized during the holidays is not the type of paper that can be recycled. Giftwrap and tissue paper can be stored alongside your boxes and bows for later use.
Holiday dumpsters for rent
At A City Suburban Services, we can help you decide what size of roll off dumpster you need and have it delivered to your neighborhood for the holidays. For example, our six cubic yard dumpster will hold up to 4,000 pounds of waste. If you have a larger group of families pitching in on the dumpster and expect a larger amount of waste, we have a 10 cubic yard unit that will hold up to 5,000 pounds of waste. Give us a call and let’s decide what’s best for your situation.
