COLUMBUS – It’s the most wasteful time of the year.
So say environmental groups and solid-waste agencies in the U.S., where the Environmental Protection Agency says Americans throw away 25 percent more trash — 25 million tons of gift wrap, decorations, cards and food — between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than any other time of the year.
Whether you are shopping, decorating, cooking or giving a gift, they suggest looking for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Cardboard boxes are easy to recycle if they are flattened. Magazines and newspapers can be reused and gifts can be wrapped in recycled paper put into something that can be reused, says Hanna Greer-Brown with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio.
“Gift bags, bows and ribbons are all excellent items. They hold up pretty well when you give them with a gift in them, and they make excellent items to reuse. They take up just a little bit of space, so they’re easy to store and give again the following year,” she said.
With holiday cards, Greer-Brown recommends being selective about how many you send, or send an electronic greeting instead.
Unwanted holiday decorations and lights can be donated instead of tossed into the trash.
Food waste increases by about 33-percent this time of the year, so Greer-Brown recommends buying only the amount of food that you need and getting creative with leftovers.
The EPA says about 28 billion pounds of food waste is thrown away each holiday season.