Have a Waste-less Holiday

How wasteful are the holidays?

During the holidays, the amount of trash the average American produces rises from 5 pounds to 6.25 pounds per person per day. 

With a population of 330 million people, that means 2,887,500,000 more pounds of garbage are generated per week during the holidays relative to the rest of the year.

What are the biggest contributors to the uptick in holiday waste? 

Let’s take a look. Don’t worry, there are solutions.

Food Waste

70 billion pounds of food waste are sent to the landfill every year, with the heaviest losses during the holidays. This is largely due to over-preparation of food for gatherings, and throwing out leftovers after the meal. 

Food Prep Realistically: Be sure to have an accurate guest count and try to prepare realistic portions instead of an over-abundance of food. If there are still leftovers, have containers on hand for guests to stock up on their favorite dishes before leaving. Also, grab a few ingredients post-holiday to reinvent any leftovers you need to use up. Compost or freeze whatever you can’t use up in time.

Wrapping Paper

Most wrapping paper is not recyclable. In fact, 2.3 million pounds of it ends up in landfills each year in the US alone.

Rethink Your Giftwrap! 

Package items in reusable gift bags, re-use paper grocery bags as wrapping paper, wrap gifts in cloth using the Furoshiki method, buy compostable gift wrap and biodegradable washi tape (Scotch tape is plastic, NOT biodegradable)!

Ribbon & Bows

If every household reused 2 feet of ribbon, it would save enough to tie a bow around the planet.

Reuse & Upcycle! Replace plastic bows and curling ribbons with cotton twine or upcycled bows made out of catalog pages. Also, get creative with your toppers - tying sticks of cinnamon, dried oranges, rosemary or evergreen sprigs, pine cones, etc. looks beautiful and can just go back outside when you’re done.

Gift Returns

Returns are responsible for 5 billion pounds of landfill waste and 15 million tons of carbon emissions per year. It was estimated that 8.75 million packages get returned within the span of a few days after the holidays. Many don’t make it back to the market - they’re sent to landfills.

Consider Before Purchasing! The statistics above show the importance of well-thought out and researched gifts both during and outside of the holidays. Be sure the recipient will actually want the gift. If you’re not sure, a gift card is a better route. Or, give an experience! Also, if you receive things you don’t want, consider re-gifting or hosting a gift swap.

Greeting Cards

The US mails 1.3 billion holiday cards per year - the same amount of CO2 emissions as charging 22 billion smartphones or 22,000 homes’ energy use for one year.

Send a Virtual Greeting! Sending an e-card is a great way to minimizes the physical waste generated by mailing cards. Personal note - my favorite tradition in lieu of sending cards is virtual caroling. I record me and my kids singing a song and text it to friends and family.

If you do choose to send physical greeting cards, look for options that have the environment in mind. Certifications like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or product specifications that include statements about compostability or seed paper are better options.

This blogpost was adapted from Michelle Weed's presentation, "Have a Waste-Less Holiday," shared at Greener Grove meeting in December, 2023.