Tips for minimizing holiday waste.

‘Tis the season for wrapping presents, trimming trees and lighting lights. Unfortunately, sometimes that holiday cheer ends up creating holiday waste. According to the National Environmental Education Foundation, each year, Americans throw out 38,000 miles of ribbon (more than enough to wrap the planet), 15 million Christmas trees and a whopping $11 billion worth of packing materials.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are five areas where simple and creative alternatives can give you the same holiday cheer with less holiday waste.

In the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, household waste across the country increases by more than 25%. Holiday-related wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, decorations, lights, cards and food waste add an additional 1 million tons per week to America’s landfills.

The presents

Here are some handy tips to make your gift-giving as easy as they are environmentally friendly.

• Provide an experience, rather than a package — things like cooking classes, concert tickets, a kayaking trip or date night.
• Give one thoughtful, generous gift instead of multiple smaller gifts. Sure, unwrapping lots of presents can be fun, but if you have a budget in mind for someone, consider going all-in with just one larger gift.
• If you get a gift you don’t need or want and can’t return, donate it to charity for someone else to appreciate and enjoy.
• Nix the gag gifts. While everyone loves a good laugh — especially at the holidays — the bulk of these items are quickly forgotten and end up in the trash.

The wrapping

Beautiful holiday wrapping papers are, well beautiful. But after a few minutes of oohs and ahhs, they get thrown away. In fact, over half of the paper used in the US each year is used to wrap and decorate products. Here are some alternatives:

• Try fabric instead of traditional paper wrap. It takes the shape of whatever you’re wrapping, making it ideal for oddly-shaped presents — with no need for measuring, cutting, folding or taping. And anything made of fabric can be used as the wrap — including cloth napkins, dish towels … even socks!
• Consider reusable wrap. Then once the packages are opened and it’s cleanup time, take the reusable wrap back — or let the recipient keep it and spread the message of more eco-friendly wrap.
• Put your gifts in reusable shopping bags. It’s an easy way to wrap and the recipient will be able to use the bag over and over. (And now in Oregon, reusable shopping bags are more important than ever. Learn more.)

The tree

For many people, a fresh-cut tree says Christmas. Here are some environmentally friendly options to consider.

• Use a live tree that can be replanted after the holidays. Not only do you still get a Christmas tree, but it can live on in your yard for years.
• Recycle your cut Christmas tree when you’re done. If you have Rogue Disposal & Recycling yard debris service, cut up the tree, put it fully inside your green-lid roll cart, and we’ll take it away on your regular yard debris pick up day to be composted. Learn more.
• You can take your tree to the Transfer Station and drop it off for a small $7.50 fee. Learn more.
• Boy Scouts and other community groups offer Christmas tree collection and disposal. Learn more.

The lights

• Holiday lights run the gamut from a string or two across the front of the house to a full-blown Christmas light-show extravaganza. Here are a few tips for conserving energy.
• Choose energy-efficient LED lights instead of traditional incandescent bulbs.
• Remember to turn the lights off each night so they’re not on during the day. Not only will this save on the electric bill, but it will also help you prolong the life of your bulbs.
• Make sure to buy parallel circuit lights — the kind where the entire strand stays lit even if a single bulb burns out. Replacing individual bulbs is much more economical — and environmentally responsible — than throwing away entire strands because one light is out.

The cards

Every year, American’s buy an estimated 2.6 billion cards during the holiday season. That’s enough to fill a football field 10 stories tall. Here are a couple of alternatives.

• Send your Christmas cards electronically. There’s no cost and no waste — a win win! And for family members or friends who want to keep them, eCards can be stored electronically without taking up space in your home.
• Instead of a traditional card, pick up the phone and make someone’s day.
• Go a step further and use Skype or FaceTime to wish folks a seasonal greeting.

The holidays are a time for family, friends and plenty of fun. It can also be a great time to add a few new eco-friendly traditions to the yearly list.