Help Reduce Holiday Waste!
Zero Waste Marin wants to pass along a few tips to help residents and businesses reduce waste during the holiday season.
Give Your Holiday Leftovers New Life
Turn any holiday leftovers into breakfast or lunch the following day. Any remaining food scraps, like your turkey, chicken, and fish bones, eggshells, coffee grounds, vegetable peals, tea bags and used paper napkins, can be tossed into your green compost cart. Check online for more information about what goes into each cart or www.SavetheFood.com for more tips on food waste prevention.
Use Alternative to Wrapping Paper
There are many ways to creatively wrap gifts without buying shiny, foil-based wrapping paper. Create a gift basket, wrap gifts in old newspaper comics or unused maps and tie off with a bright ribbon or twine. Package gifts in reusable gift bags to give two gifts in one! Remember - all gift wrapping paper is landfill!
Properly Dispose of Used Wrapping Paper
Recycle paper-based wrapping paper in the blue side of your recycling cart. Shiny, foil-based wrapping paper cannot be recycled and must be placed in the landfill cart. Never burn your wrapping paper - ink on the paper can release toxic fumes when burned.
Give an Experience
Reduce overall waste this season by giving an experience that doesn't come in a package, like tickets to a show, a relaxing spa treatment, or a gift certificate to a local restaurant - to be used sometime in 2021 hopefully.
Give Gifts a Second Life
Shop for unique, high-quality gifts a local thrift or antique store and reduce waste created by producing new goods.
Send an e-Card
Save paper and postage this year by sending your season's greetings electronically. If you do send a paper card, make sure that your card is recyclable.
Zero Waste Marin works with cities and towns throughout Marin County to educate residents about reducing the amount of waste that goes to our local landfills. For more information, visit www.ZeroWasteMarin.org.