From piles of presents to meals featuring mountains of food; for many of us the holidays are a time for excess. But the City of Edmonton has a few tips to help people prevent excessive waste during the Christmas season.
According to the city, the Edmonton Waste Management Centre takes on about twice the amount of waste at the end of December than it does at other times in the winter.
READ MORE: Are your gift wrapping habits harming the environment? Tips to reduce waste this season
This year, the city is adopting the hashtag #WastelessHolidays for its social media campaign to encourage people to make their Christmases more green. The following are some of the city’s top tips, divided into four categories, for diminishing holiday debris.
Recycling
- Take unwanted electronics to an Eco Station and remember not to ever put anything with a cord or battery in your blue bag
- Remember that non-foil wrapping paper and cardboard can go in your blue bag
- Remember that any styrofoam packaging should go in the garbage
Food
- Have a plan for storing and using your holiday leftovers
- Donate unopened holiday treats to local charities
- Check your cupboards at home so you don’t accidentally buy something you don’t need when you go grocery shopping
Decorating
- Pick quality decorations that will last you several holiday seasons
- Donate unwanted holiday items to a local charity or to the Reuse Centre
Waste-friendly gifts
- Try to give experiences as gifts like tickets to events or attractions
- Wrap gifts with reusable materials like a scarf or a gift bag
- Buy quality gifts that will last
- Be creative with your gift and think of how you could donate your time or skills as a present
- Make a donation to a chairty in lieu of a gift
READ MORE: Edmonton business offers tips on how to make holidays less wasteful
The city says there will be no waste collection on Tuesday, Dec. 25 or on Tuesday Jan. 1. If your waste is normally collected on those days, it will instead be collected on Monday, Dec. 24 or Monday Dec. 31.
For more information on what waste goes where, you can download the free WasteWise tool app for your mobile device here.
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