20 Things You Can Recycle This Holiday Season

Recycling is something that can be done throughout the entire year. This includes the holiday season! The holidays are a time of gift giving, eating, and spending time with friends and family. Use the following tips to help add recycling to your to-do list for the season. What will you choose to recycle?

• Give “green” gifts. One of the best ways to recycle this holiday season is to ensure that the gifts you give others are “green.”
• Save gift bags, paper, and holiday bows. Instead of throwing away all the gift wrap and bows that are the result of unwrapped presents, choose to save them so that you can reuse them next season.
• Use left-over food in your compost. With the holidays, comes what seems to be and endless supply of food. Instead of throwing your leftovers in the trash, choose to use them in your compost.
• Recycle bottles from the holiday party. Have a bin labeled “recycle” at your holiday party for all those glass wine and beer bottles. Take them to the nearest recycling center or find creative ways to reuse them.
• Buy rechargeable batteries. If you have gifts that take batteries, leave a positive impact on the earth by buying rechargeable batteries. This is a great way to recycle.
• Recycle your Christmas tree. During this holiday season, choose to buy a Christmas tree that is potted so that you can plant it in your yard after the season is over.
• Send e-cards instead of greeting cards. E-cards are virtually free and will help reduce paper waste.
• Cut down on the packaging of gifts. Simply choosing smaller gifts to send through the mail will help. How? The less packaging supplies that you use such as packing peanuts and boxes, the better.
• Holiday season sales papers. Before you run out and get the great deals you find in the holiday sales paper, make sure you dispose of them properly. They, too, will be great for your compost.
• Magazines and catalogs. In addition to the holiday sales papers, recycle your magazines and catalogs.
• Pie plates. Will you be baking pies this holiday season? There are many creative ways to reuse old pie plates. Use them for arts and crafts projects for your kids.
• Aluminum foil. After you cover your food with aluminum foil, be sure it makes it into the recycling bin. This needs to be kept separate from paper and plastic.
• Cans from the food you prepare. Canned goods can also be recycled once they are used. Paint a few of them and give them as gifts. They make great pencil holders.
• Packing material. Save packing material from the gifts you receive in the mail and reuse them when the time comes for you to mail something. .Shopping bags. To recycle your shopping bags during the holiday season, bring them back to the store where you made your purchases. Many stores will recycle the bags for you.
• Old toys. If your kids will be getting tons of new toys during the holiday season, perhaps it’s time to get rid of the old ones. Recycle old toys by giving them to someone who can use them.
• Holiday clothing. Holiday clothing can also be recycled by bringing them to your nearest thrift store or donating them to a charity.
• Cell phones. Don’t throw you old cell phone in the trash if you get a new one during the holiday season. Make sure that you properly dispose of the phone or save it
• Bread bags.
• Glass jars can be saved for crafts projects. If you are serving jam or jelly during the season, save the glass jars for craft projects. Glass jars also make good drinking glasses and candle holders. There are many creative ways to reuse glass jars that you get from your holiday cooking.
Make recycling a part of your life year round. The holidays are an especially good time to find creative ways to recycle or reuse waste around your home. Use the tips above to help you recycle during this time of year.