Everyone loves to decorate their homes and workspaces as Christmas approaches. But have any of us ever thought about the junk that’s left behind? Christmas holidays generate about 25% of extra garbage, annually. Which equals around 1 million tons of additional garbage. As soon as the holiday season is over, everything from live trees to flashy lights are thrown in bins.
Let’s discuss some ways to reduce the environmental impact of Christmas holidays that threatens the beauty and quality of nature:
Christmas Trees
If you’re accustomed to putting up a real tree in your house for Christmas, most probably it’s going to end up in the curb, for a waste management company to collect it. While your waste management company might not pick it up, you can easily repurpose your Christmas tree. You could chip it down to use it as firewood or you could offer your children a fun activity by making a log swing out of it. You could design it as a nest for birds or if you want to make the most out of it, what’s better than a small tree house?
On the contrary, if you set up an artificial tree for Christmas, that might be a little tricky to dispose of. Faux trees are made up of PVC that can only be processed by certain recycling centres. If you happen to live in the countryside, there are very few chances to find a recycling centre equipped with PVC processing machinery. In that case, you can give your Christmas tree a makeover to look like a scarecrow and put it up in fields.
Above all, once the Christmas is over, make sure to hire the professional Solano County Company for sale disposal of the tree,
Compost
Most of the garbage that ends up in trash, can be used as an exquisite compost material. According to the Institute of Plant Sciences, compost has many benefits over fertilisers in respect to nutrients for vegetation.
You will be surprised to know that all the holiday trash including your Christmas tree, cardboard, leftover food, coffee grounds, stale bread, fruit rinds, egg shells, vegetables waste and even paper can be tossed into the compost pile.
Christmas Lights
Christmas lights cannot be processed into recycling machines as the cords and wires would get tangled in the machinery and cause a technical loss. Many stores offer trade-in programs by which you could avail a discount on LED lights. Many recycling centres also offer special programs for strings of light that are not functional anymore.
Recycle
A lot of holiday garbage contains electronic waste such as worn off batteries or broken electrical appliances. These can be dropped off at an e-recycling centre so their metal pieces could be melted down in order to shape new materials for various products.
Grand family dinners are the crux of Christmas holidays. Old cooking oil can be hazardous if consumed, but many recycling centres use old cooking oil for burning purposes such as specialised stoves, coal ovens, melting rubber or even as a burning agent.
Styrofoam and plastic packaging can be stored to be used as future package protections. These could turn out pretty helpful when you need to carry stuff.
Repurpose
All of the gift packing is thrown or torn away as soon as the Christmas sun rises. Decorative ribbons, gift boxes, wrapping paper, foaming sheets, bags etc can all be saved for presenting future gifts. Good quality ribbons can be used as dainty hair bows.
If your decorations do not fit in the reusing capacity, consider making out a craft out of them through DIY projects. Wrapping paper, garlands or foaming sheets can be used as cushion fillings. Gift boxes and cardboards can be altered to store ornaments or other delicate accessories in them.
Donate
The best thing about the holiday season is the spirit of donating. This does not apply only to your furniture or old TV screens. Christmas decorations can also be donated as a polite gesture. Donating what you don’t use anymore is a pious experience in it’s own, so why not donate your fake Christmas tree to a local thrift shop? A family that cannot afford a new tree might get to enjoy the essence of Christmas through your tree.
Crafty people are always in search of props and decorative materials for their projects. Garlands, fake wreaths and glitters might be the finishing touch they’ve been looking for. Old gifts should also be donated even if they’re in a shabby condition because, who knows? Your trash might be another person’s treasure!
By taking these points in stride, you can responsibly dispose of Christmas decorations. If you feel you do not have enough time in your hands, hiring professional services can save you a lot of trouble. You can rely on 3 Kings Hauling and More in this regard and let professionals take care of everything.
