Last year, central Ohioans reached a new milestone when they recycled more material than they sent to the Franklin County Sanitary landfill. On average a Franklin County resident creates approximately two pounds of waste daily, and it’s easy for that number to go up over the holidays when families and individuals are busy buying and wrapping gifts, decorating and baking. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency estimates waste can increase by as much as 25% during this time of year. This holiday season SWACO is making it easy for families to have a green holiday when they implement a few easy steps to reduce waste and recycle right.  

“Preventing waste is the single best action we can take to reduce our reliance on the landfill and reduce our carbon footprint,” said Hanna Greer-Brown, SWACO’s communication manager. “Recycling correctly is another excellent way to act sustainably during the holidays and every day.” 

SWACO suggests the following ways to prevent waste:  

1. When decorating for the holidays, reuse items from previous years and shop local thrift stores. Donate strings of lights and decorations to places like Goodwill or recycle them through community programs. 
2. Wrap gifts in papers you already have on hand – newspaper, brown bags and magazine sheets all are interesting options.  
3. Are you preparing a big meal for friends or family? Shop with a list so you only buy what you need and send guests home with leftovers to eat. You can also safely freeze and eat leftovers for many months after the holidays.  
4. Get creative with leftovers. Toss leftover Christmas ham into a pot of bean soup on New Year’s Day, turn stale dinner rolls into homemade croutons on a healthy salad and store holiday dinner herbs longer to use in the future. 

Recycle correctly with these easy steps: 

1. Empty and flatten cardboard before putting it in the curbside recycling cart at your home or before taking it to the SWACO drop off locations.  
2. Bring your expanded polystyrene to Hilliard's Styrofoam collection event being held from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 30 at City Hall, 3800 Municipal Way. 
3. Wrapping paper without foil, glitter or embellishment can be recycled.  
4. Recycle live wreaths and trees following the holidays by removing decorations and setting them at the curb on your yard waste collection day.  
5. New electronics are a popular item to give and receive each holiday. E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the U.S. If you find yourself with electronic waste to discard, check with the retailer to see if they have a take-back program. Many computer and cell phone stores offer these. Use SWACO’s search tool to find a location near you.  

Download SWACO’s Green Holiday Guide for more tips to reduce holiday waste.