Give a “Green” Gift This Holiday Season

Dec. 5, 2011 - PRLog -- St. Louis, MO – ‘Tis the season to Think Green® and give a very different gift this Holiday season by reducing your environmental footprint, recycling more and creating less waste.  From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, Americans generate 25 percent more waste than any other time of the year.  That’s more than a million extra tons per week during the Holidays.  This year, everyone can help make a big difference by greening holiday ideas with a few simple tips from Waste Management.  Being creative can even help save some money along the way.

• Send Holiday Cards by Email: Bypass the lines in favor of this green way to send holiday cheer.  It saves time, paper and postage.  If your recipients wish to print the cards, encourage them to use recycled-content paper or the reverse side of old emails and other documents.  

• Rethink Shopping Bags: Thousands of traditional paper and plastic shopping bags end up in landfills every year. Go green this year and tell stores you don’t need a bag for small purchases, or opt for reusable cloth bags. Take purchases and put them in your trunk immediately for safety.

• Entertain Chic: Use washable utensils, plates and glassware rather than disposable items, which typically end up in landfills. If you have leftovers, send them home in reusable containers, or consider donating items to a local food pantry or shelter.

• Holiday Wrapping: Put a reusable bow on a gift and place it in a gift bag that can be used again and again. Consider using wrapping paper leftover from last year or make your own wrapping paper from magazines, newspapers, posters or maps.  Remember, most holiday wrapping can be reused next year or recycled.

• Decorate Smart: If you choose a real Christmas tree, wreaths and garland, be sure to recycle them when the Holidays are over.  Check with your municipality for tree collection schedules and sites.  If the material doesn’t contain wire backing or tinsel, you may be able to include the items in your yard waste collection.

“We can all make a difference in the amount of waste generated over the holidays by shopping smart, recycling more and reusing items when possible,” said Carrie Spencer, spokesperson for Waste Management.  “Waste Management is North America’s largest recycler, managing more than eight million tons of recycled content, saving natural resources and energy.  It is our goal to triple that amount by 2020 by encouraging recycling throughout the Holiday season and year-round.”

For more ways to make the holidays greener visit www.thinkgreenfromhome.com for information on low-cost recycling kits and gift cards for friends, colleagues and family.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.