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Notice anything different around the holiday season? And I'm not talking about the increased stress, all that extra time spent with the in-laws, the mad dashes through department stores, and the gridlocked traffic. I'm talking trash.
It doesn't take a die-hard environmentalist to observe that the increased amount of trash floating around the house around those early winter months—packaging, wrapping paper, stacks of envelopes, and tons of holiday themed printed advertisements seem to appear out of nowhere in late November. But we're used to it. It's the same story every year; it's all in the Christmas spirit, and it can't really be all that bad, right?
Wrong. I hate to get all bah-humbuggy here, but do you have any idea how much more household waste is generated during the holidays in the U.S.? Go on, make a guess. Think of all the presents, the boxes they come in, the wrapping paper that covers them, the holiday cards, the letters, the Christmas Trees, the candy wrappers, etc. Got a number? You still might be surprised.
It's one million tons. That's right—according to the EPA, Americans generate an additional million tons of household waste over the average between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. That's a massive 25 percent spike in waste—from the standard 4 million tons to 5 million—that occurs like clockwork every year.
And when you sit back and think about it, the figure makes an unfortunate amount of sense. Most of the packaging hits the landfill, all the tossed Christmas cards could altogether fill an entire football stadium, and a staggering number of actual, unwanted gifts are thrown away every year (in this sense, crappy Christmas presents are literally ruining the world).
The moral of this factoid? (If factoids can have morals, that is) Be aware of your consumption over the holidays—and look around your home now. Are there gifts, wrapping, and cards that could be recycled or reused? If so, you know what to do. And recycle that Christmas tree. We all need to pitch in to curb our collective wasteful habits this time of year.
So keep your eyes open, and next year, make sure to go green for the holidays right from the start.
More on Holiday Waste:
A Holiday is A Terrible Thing to Waste
Edible Christmas Cards Cuts Down on After- Holiday Waste
Avoid Greeting Card Waste With Annabelle Gurwitch
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