– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension
The week before Christmas is a magical time of year. It is magical in the sense of childlike wonder the little ones experience while listening to the Christmas story, waiting for Santa, singing, dancing, and crafting. It is also magical how much preparation is completed in the last few days by parents. Task completion of this scale could only be possible with the help of some higher power. Along with the magic of Christmas comes a less jolly pattern of increased household waste.
Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and the New Year than any other time of the year. While there are many reasonable explanations for the increase in discarded materials, there are probably some easy steps we could take in our homes to reduce the amount that we each contribute to the 25 million tons of extra garbage collected over the holidays.
One way to reduce discarded waste is to reduce the magnitude of wrapping materials we use and/or to save and reuse materials for another gift. While reusing a ribbon or gift wrap may seem like a tiny action, if each family took a tiny step, it could lead to a huge decrease in municipal waste. According to Stanford University and the authors of the book Use Less Stuff, if every American family recycled a two-foot section of holiday ribbon, we would save 38 thousand miles of ribbon from the trash can. That is enough ribbon to tie a bow around planet Earth. Even one rewrapped gift can make a difference.
We can also reduce waste by rethinking gift giving. It can be daunting to purchase a gift for all the people on your Christmas list. Often while doing so, we overlook that a homemade gift, a consumable product, a service we could provide, or quality time spent doing a special activity together can be a better expression of how much we care than something materialistic. There is nothing tacky about gifting a meal kit, a membership, a hunting or fishing license, or school supplies. Practical gifts that people can consume are still thoughtful and reduce clutter around the home.
When hosting company, reconsider the convenience of disposable tableware and décor items. If you don’t have enough tableware for all your guests, you could shop for place settings at thrift stores and gift them to your guests as a reflection of their personalities. If disposable is still the way to go, consider place settings that are made from recycled material and/or are compostable. Fabric napkins are a washable option that can add sophistication and color to the table. Matching sets can be found at department stores, but they are very easy to sew from scrap fabrics too. These make great gifts as well.
“Reduce-Reuse-Recycle,” is an excellent waste reduction motto and there are ways we can use the phrase to decrease municipal waste daily. Many Americans are able to access municipal recycling pick up services or drop-off centers. There is also an increase in composting and combustion disposal services in municipalities across that nation that produce usable soil media or energy from food and lawn waste. Interestingly in 1980, average Americans contributed 3.66 pounds of trash to municipal waste, but less than 10 percent of that waste was recycled. In 2018, average trash production rose to 4.9 pounds per day, with 32 percent recycled.
Little by little we can all work together to make a big difference in showing that we care about our loved ones and reducing waste this holiday.
I wish each of you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you will also take time to recharge this season before we move into 2022.