From Christmas trees to wrapping paper, leftovers from the holidays often end up in the landfill. But individuals can take steps to reduce the environmental impact of their holiday celebrations.
When decorating, Recycle Utah spokesperson Chelsea Hafer said it’s a good rule of thumb to buy higher-quality items once and keep them for years or decades, rather than replacing holiday decorations every season.
“I think there’s a lot of trash created by decorations,” she said. “And so, if you can buy things that are going to last for a long time and have proper disposal at the end – that you can compost or that you can recycle – then that’s definitely the best option.”
For households that celebrate Christmas, Hafer also recommended thinking long-term about which holiday tree is the right fit.
She said sometimes a plastic tree can be a more sustainable choice.
“If you get an artificial tree and you keep it for over 10 years, then it ends up having lower emissions than real trees,” she said. “But if you get a cheaper one that doesn’t last as long, then it’s better to get a real tree.”
For the gifts under the tree, Hafer said people can get creative with wrapping presents. Newspaper is an affordable and sustainable alternative to buying a new roll of wrapping paper.
She said gift wrap needn’t end up in the garbage.
“All wrapping paper is recyclable, even if it has glitter on it,” she said. “It’s all recyclable curbside, even with the tape on it.”
Hafer suggested homemade items or breathing new life into used treasures to create holiday gifts with a smaller carbon footprint. She said those more eco-friendly gifts can often be nicer to receive, too.
“We see so many things that come through Recycle Utah all the time – appliances and toys and all of these things that break – and a lot of them aren’t recyclable,” she said. “So, it really does pay off to buy high-quality things that last a long time.”
As for the festive apparel for holiday soirées, Hafer recommended shopping secondhand or investing in clothing that lasts, as there are few options to keep clothing out of the landfill.
Once the celebrations are over, there’s also the question of what to do with the Christmas tree.
Recycle Utah does not accept trees.
However, this year, both Wasatch and Park City high schools’ lacrosse teams will collect trees in exchange for donations of $35-50.
More information about the Wasatch High School lacrosse fundraiser is available here.
Information about the Park City High School lacrosse fundraiser is available here.
Recycle Utah is a financial supporter of KPCW.
