The holidays are here, and that means unwrapping gifts, cooking and eating a lot of food and dealing with holiday decorations. The result? Good times, and a lot of trash. for a more sustainable Christmas, give a listen to this week's 'Issues of the Environment.' David Fair talks with Recycle Ann Arbor's Outreach and Zero Waste Coordinator Christine Chessler-Stull about having a 'greener' holiday.
Overview
* Between Thanksgiving and Christmas we toss out one million extra tons of household trash each week!
* Fortunately, Washtenaw County residents have a wealth of resources available to them to help cut down on holiday waste, and Recycle Ann Arbor’s services are open to all county residents.
* Christine Chessler-Stull is Recycle Ann Arbor’s Outreach & Zero Waste Coordinator. She says cutting down on holiday refuse starts with planning to be green and having a strategy for recycling the leftovers.
Holiday Waste Reduction Offerings from RAA
Batteries – Rechargeable Unusable rechargeable batteries and button batteries can be taken to the Drop-Off Station or Jackson Rd.
Bubble Wrap - Save quality bubble wrap to be reused. If the wrap can not be reused it should be taken to the Drop-Off Station.
Greeting Cards - Reuse cards in craft projects or donate the front page to scrapbox.org. The back page can be placed in your curbside recycling cart for recycling. Cards with foil or metallic features can’t be recycled in curbside.
Cardboard - Reuse cardboard as often as possible before placing in your curbside recycling cart. If you have a quantity too large for the cart it can be taken to the Drop-Off Station or Jackson Rd.Christmas Lights - Try to fix them first! If not, the Drop-Off Station and Jackson Rd accept these.
Christmas Trees - Christmas trees can be taken to the Drop-Off Station side lot for composting. This service operates from Dec. 15 to Jan. 31.
Electronics - Many replaced, working electronics can be donated to the ReUse Center. Items that can not be reused can be taken to the Drop-Off or Jackson Rd.
Food Waste - Unopened non-perishable items can be donated to Food Gatherers. Compost items at home- see the City of Ann Arbor’s Home Composting Guide.
Paper Gift Bags - Keep for reuse. If they’re not suitable for reuse they can be placed in the curbside recycling cart.
Plastic Bags - Reuse for as long as possible. Larger quantities can be taken to the Drop- Off Station and area grocery stores such as Kroger and Meijer.
Pizza Boxes - remove the liner and all pizza, flatten in bin. (Many people do not realize this is possible.)Replaced Items, including Sporting Goods, Books, and Electronics - Donate any usable items to the ReUse Center. Items that can’t be reused can be taken to the Drop-Off Station or Jackson Rd.
Styrofoam Packaging - Can be taken to the Drop-Off Station.
Textiles - Reusable, good textiles can go to one of Ann Arbor’s many thrift stores. Torn or stained textiles can be taken to the Drop-Off Station.
Wrapping Paper - Save quality paper for reuse. Torn, crumbled wrapping paper can be placed in the curbside recycling cart for recycling. Foil or metallic paper can not be recycled and should be reused.
Tips for Reducing Holiday Waste
For Americans the “most wonderful time of the year” is also the most wasteful time of the year. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas we toss out one million extra tons of household trash each week! Although we strive to be green, no one wants to give up their new electronic gadget, visit to Grandma in Florida, Secret Santa exchange, Christmas tree, or Hanukkah bash, but the environmental cost of such luxuries can be mitigated through mindful choices that reduce waste and fossil fuel consumption during the holidays. Here are 10 suggestions for being greener during the holidays:
1. Get to Chopping Your Tannenbaum
Unless you plan to reuse an artificial Christmas tree for 20 years or more, or you drive hundreds of miles to chop the perfect, wild fir, a “real” tree is the sustainable choice. Farmed Christmas trees fix carbon during the growth phase, provide wildlife habitat, support local jobs and economies, and can be recycled, while the production, importation, and disposal of plastic trees generates harmful pollutants. With Michigan ranking third in Christmas tree production, local farms offer a wide variety of live conifers, some organically grown. You might also choose a living potted tree, which can later be planted on your property, donated, or given away. In Washtenaw County cut trees can be left in a secluded corner of the yard for wildlife habitat, or they can be dropped off for recycling through January 31st at:
* Recycle Ann Arbor’s Drop-off Station, 2950 E. Ellsworth Road, at Platt Road.
* West Park parking lot off Chapin near West Huron Street.
* Gallup Canoe Livery boat launch parking lot, 3000 Fuller Road, near Huron River Drive.
* Olson Park parking lot, 1515 DhuVarren Road, near Pontiac Trail.
2. Re-gift
Resolving not to purchase useless, new gifts this season is a step in the green direction. Although re-gifting last year’s fruitcake to your Secret Santa is frowned upon, used gifts can be extra special. Family heirlooms or reclaimed childhood treasures are priceless gifts even though the items are used. Maybe a coworker has always loved your paperweight or you have one too many designer handbags sitting untouched. To get others into the “green-giving” spirit, suggest swapping used books as an alternative to the $25-limit office exchange or replay memories with relatives by trading old, family snapshots at a holiday gathering.
3. Give Meaningful, Green Gifts
Some gifts even keep on giving to the planet, like shade grown coffee, native wildflower seeds, or transplantable trees and shrubs, which help by creating vital wildlife habitats. Durable, monogrammed shopping totes, reusable coffee mugs, or gift cards for ebooks, can help your loved ones make ecological choices throughout the year. In addition, there are a myriad of lovely, one-of-a-kind upcycled items--gifts made from repurposed materials--that are handcrafted in the U.S., or support women in impoverished countries, from purses sewn from colorful sari silk, to a bed within a classic car frame, to jewelry cast from shrapnel.
4. Give “Zero Waste” Presents
Packagingaccounts for about a third of the waste generated in the U.S., 4 million tons alone from wrapping paper and shopping bags. There are plenty of terrific presents with no packaging at all including gift certificates, tickets to a sporting event or performance, a membership to a favorite club, or gifts of services like housekeeping, lessons, or a spa day. To up the “green factor” consider giving a month’s worth of a community supported agriculture (CSA) timeshare or donating to an environmental non-profit on the receiver’s behalf. There are numerous organizations offering “adoption” of the rainforest, endangered wildlife, zoo animals, trees, or education and nutritional support for the needy.
5. Give Naked Presents
When wrapping presents, remember that most decorative gift wrap and cards are coated with plastics, chemical dyes, or foils. As an alternative, give gifts in durable shopping totes or graduated sizes of pre-wrapped, boxes which can be reused for multiple holidays, or wrap a gift in a gift, such as new slippers rolled in a bathrobe. If you must giftwrap or send a card, look for products with recycled content, and for parties, send evites rather than invitations. When mailing gifts, opt for reused paper shreds over styrofoam and sketch a bow on the outside of a box rather than double wrapping. If every American family chose not to wrap three gifts, the paper saved could cover more than 45,000 football fields!
6. Switch to LED Lights and Recycle Incandescents
Modern LED lightstrings use about 15% of the energy of incandescents to emit the same amount of light and can last 10 times longer. Old, incandescent Christmas lights can be recycled in Washtenaw County at:
* Lowe’s, 5900 Jackson Road.
* Whole Foods Market, 3135 Washtenaw Ave.
Or, to be eligible for a discount on LEDs, mailed to:
* HolidayLEDs.com Attn: Recycling Program, 3849 Guest Rd., Jackson, MI 49203.
7. Donate Used Electronics, Recycle Batteries, and Splurge on Energy Efficient Appliances
About a third of the gifts received this year will probably be new electronics. Since discarded electronics contain toxins that contaminate landfills, working items can be donated to a local nonprofit, like the TECH Horizons Programfor disabled adults, or given to the ReUse Center. Dead gadgets should be recycled at The Washtenaw County Regional Drop-off Stations, 2950 E. Ellsworth and 7891 Jackson Rd., or returned to a store that offers take-back.
All those new electronics use a lot of batteries, so consider giving rechargeables and a charger with them. About 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season, and more than 3 billion batteries are thrown away by American households each year. Spent batteries should never be thrown in the bin and can be properly disposed of at the Washtenaw County Home Toxics Collection Center, 705 N. Zeeb Road, and rechargeables are accepted at many stores where they are sold.
Expecting a house full of company? Perhaps you can put on Santa’s wish list to replace old, energy-hogging appliances with new, Energy Star (ES) rated models. Older dishwashers use about 10 gallons of water each cycle, and in less than a year a refrigeratormade before 1990 uses the power equivalent of leaving a hair dryer blowing for a month, while ES appliances use about half the resources of older models.
8. Use Your Fine China
To reduce waste, set the holiday table with cloth napkins, reusable dishes, glasses, and silverware. Durables are inexpensive, and china is available at any price point. Pretty pieces are easy to find at local, secondhand stores, and mismatched is fashionable these days. Or if you don’t use formal tableware regularly, you could consider renting it. To save water, soak dirty dishes in warm, soapy water during dessert rather than running the tap, and fill up the dishwasher before starting the cycle. Although breaking one of Great-Grandma’s saucers is tragic, she would be proud to see her china put to work conserving resources.
9. Stay Home
Close to a quarter of the U.S. population plans to travel this holiday season, with 42 percent intending to fly to their destination. Air travel is perhaps the most environmentally profligate part of the holidays, so it makes sense to consider whether or not it is necessary. Choosing not to fly doesn’t have to mean missing time with family. A road trip can be the most memorable part of a vacation, and the more people packed in the vehicle, the greater the energy savings. Who knows? Instead of flying the entire family south, Grandpa in Mexico may appreciate visiting you up North this year. Just make sure to book him a non-stop flight since half of the carbon emissions come from takeoff and landing.
10. Give Peace on Earth
During the holidays, opportunities to give in the community abound. Spread goodwill by meeting up with neighbors to pick up litter in a park, counting birds for the Washtenaw Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, or delivering holiday goodies to an elderly neighbor. Many small, local charities depend on year-end donations to stay afloat and report an increased demand for assistance in the holiday season, so it is important to give close to home. Food, clothing, toy, and pet food drives are resourceful ways to clean out the pantry and closet while helping others.
Being environmentally conscientious is often as simple as taking a moment to consider if a convenience is a necessity. A century ago the holidays were essentially green, full of sleigh rides over the river and through the woods jingling all the way, rather than layovers in Houston en route to LA--but the season was just as merry! For suggestions on being greener in the coming year, check out a list of New Year’s resolutions coming soon!
Local Recycling Highlights of 2015
Campaign to Encourage Pizza Box Recycling - education to the community that pizza boxes are recyclable.
Soliciting Donations from Washtenaw County Residents to Purchase Recycling Containers for Detroiters - Detroit now offers citywide recycling, but residents often can’t afford $25 bins
Ann Arbor City Council Approves 2015/16 Ann Arbor Budget Amendment: Create a Comprehensive Organics Management Plan - the first steps in a comprehensive organics plan for the city, which currently diverts about 50% of household waste.
“Tidy Your Township” Campaign 2015 - outreach campaign to the townships to encourage recycling of tires, refrigerators, TVs, constructions waste--items that are frequently dumped.
The City of Ann Arbor Parks Recycling Program to Continue and Expand in 2015 - 20 Ann Arbor parks now have recycling options. Bins are reported to be 50-100% full each week, with minimal contamination.
Latex Paint Recycling Added - Latex paint can now be recycled at the DOS, and it is still accepted at the Zeeb Road drop-off days.
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@wemu.org
