The Toll of Tradition
Rejoice by making the - REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE - and COMPOSTING part of your holiday tradition this season!
The Toll of Tradition
It is estimated that each year Canadians spend about $4 billion on wrapping paper, decorations and gifts, and exchange more than 2 billion holiday cards! This accounts for a huge increase in the amount of waste generated every holiday season.
Remember, small changes do add up to big changes. If each household makes just a few small changes in the way they shop, wrap gifts, decorate or entertain, it will result in a big change for Nova Scotia.
Did you know?
• The annual waste generated in Canada from gift-wrap and shopping bags equals about 545,000 tonnes.
• Packaging makes up about half our garbage by volume, one-third by weight.
• If everyone in Canada wrapped just three gifts in reused paper or gift bags, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 hockey rinks!
Reduce
There is a lot of excessive packaging out there on everything from toys to pre-packed vegetables and meat. Act with your feet; look for products that have an alternative with less packaging and buy your meat off the meat counter or butcher and your fruit & veg loose or from farmers markets. If it has to be packaged, try to buy it packaged in material that can easily be recycled.
You could also look for presents made from recycled material - you’d be surprised what is available, from handbags and stationary to jewellery and clothing - that way no raw materials are being used to make something new from scratch.
Reuse
Both children and adults alike may receive gifts that are better than something they had before or even something that they may not even want. Donate your old toys, games, clothes, furniture, computers and appliances to a local charity. Alternatively, with everyone trying to tighten their belts, you could try selling good-quality items through online sites (try Freecycle or Kijiji) as well as newspaper classifieds or supermarket noticeboards
Why not even buy some ‘reused’ presents? Many items that are being sold are new or in as-new condition, some in their original packaging or you could dress them up in a decorated box or gift bag. Let’s face it; fancy packaging with screws and wires just stop children getting at their new toy quickly!
Recycle
Don’t forget that you can recycle most of your waste through your curbside Blue Bag program or using one of the many Enviro-Depots. Get the whole family involved in recycling and make sure everyone knows what can and can’t be recycled - especially those visiting from outside of the area as it may be different to what they can recycle at home. For a list of accepted items go to reduceyourwaste.ca or contact your Municipality for information on how to reuse or recycle many common household items.
Compost
At Christmas most of us produce a lot more food waste but all of those fruit and vegetable peelings can be composted and your meats and fats can easily become useful compost if you place it in your green bin.