As we make our way through the holiday season, SWACO is helping Franklin County residents celebrate in ways that are festive, thoughtful and sustainable. From greener gifting and smart travel habits to recycling all those extra boxes, there are many small steps that make a big impact.
Whether you’re hosting, shopping, or traveling, here are easy ways to reduce waste this holiday season.
Go Green with your Holiday Gifts
- Reusable gift bags are more sustainable than single-use wrapping paper and can be used year after year.
- Shop at second-hand stores.
- Get crafty! DIY gifts can be very thoughtful.
- Embellished, glittery, or foil wrapping papers are not recyclable, but most wrapping paper is, whether matte or glossy.
Entertain Smarter, Not Harder
- Choose reusable dishware or compostable plates and cutlery.
- Carpool to holiday parties.
Prevent Excess Food Waste
- Use the Guestimator tool and SWACO Food Storage Guide to help purchase just the right amount of food and avoid wasting leftovers.
Traveling for the Holidays?
- Bring a reusable water bottle to avoid buying expensive on-time-use plastic water bottles at the airport.
- You can also bring your own food through TSA; just pack your leftovers in a reusable container you can take home.
What to do with all that Cardboard…
Between gift-giving, holiday sales, and online shopping, cardboard can pile up quickly this time of year. Cardboard is one of the easiest materials to recycle, yet nearly 30% of what arrives at the landfill each day is made up of cardboard and paper products.
Here’s how to make sure yours gets recycled:
- It can go in your curbside recycling bin or be dropped off at a SWACO recycling drop-off site.
- Empty boxes take up a lot of room, so it’s important to break down boxes before putting them in the recycling.
- Even greasy pizza boxes can now be recycled. Just remove the paper liner and throw that in the trash, then flatten the pizza box and put in the recycling.
To find a recycling drop-off site near you where you can recycle cardboard and many other items, visit RecycleRight.org.
For more holiday sustainability tips, check out the full Green Holiday Guide.
