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Editorial: Throw away less during holiday season


Each year, Americans generate millions of tons of waste in our homes and communities. The Environmental Protection Agency is challenging people to conserve our natural resources by committing to reduce, reuse, and recycle at home, in your community, and at the office.

From Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, household waste increases.

The EPA offers the following tips to reduce and recycle waste during the holiday season:



n Send recycled-content greeting cards to reduce the amount of virgin paper used during the holidays. Remember to recycle any paper cards you receive. You can also try sending electronic greeting cards to reduce paper waste.



n Approximately 33 million live Christmas trees are sold in North America every year. After the holidays, look for ways to recycle your tree instead of sending it to a landfill. Check with your community solid waste department and find out if they collect and mulch trees. Your town might be able to use chippings from mulched trees for hiking trails and beachfront erosion barriers.

n To help prevent waste from cutting down and disposing of live trees, you can buy a potted tree and plant it after the holidays.




n Use your own camera instead of a disposable one to reduce waste while capturing holiday memories. Consider buying a digital camera so that you don't have to use film and only print the pictures you want to keep.