As people gather for the holidays most are thinking about family and friends and the various parties that they will go to. They are buying gifts for loved ones, or waiting in anticipation for what surprises they might receive. What many of them may be surprised to find out is that Christmas is one of the most wasteful times of the year and can be very damaging to the environment. With all of the talk about climate change over the last year people are finally starting to recognize some of their most wasteful habits and are making an effort to change, but many don’t consider the consequences of many of their holiday traditions.
From wrapping paper to trees, greeting cards and batteries there are loads of ways in which Christmas can be the season of waste. Some prominent members of the environmental community, as well as local councils like the Norfolk Council are offering some holiday tips that can help people reduce waste. People should always recycle their tree for starters, as Christmas trees rank among the biggest victims of the holiday waste. People use enough wrapping paper during the holidays to go to the moon and most of it cannot be recycled so another tip is to use recycled materials or wrap gifts in newspaper which can later be recycled.
Another big waste is the amount of food that gets tossed out. Not only do people throw away perfectly edible food that could sustain another life, they add organic waste to landfills which eventually emits harmful methane.
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