Holiday Waste Guilt?

Now that the holidays are over it’s not uncommon for people to feel a little guilty about all the waste those gifts and entertaining events generate. Piles of ripped up packaging:  brightly-colored wrap, those frustratingly hard to open cardboard housings, plastic shards of all shapes and sizes. Where are they now? Stuffed in the bin for the upcoming garbage crew collection, most likely.

Well, okay. It’s the holidays. We’re bustling about visiting and entertaining; a time of year where we just let loose a little on responsibilities such as recycling and reusing. But during these times of growing landfills and global warming, doesn’t it just tweak at the conscience a little, particularly when this is one of our most wasteful times? North Americans produce an incredible amount of extra waste during the holidays – up to 25% more between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, according to recycleworks.org.

If you are one of those feeling you overindulged during the holidays – perhaps not just with the edible treats, but with elaborate and extensive packaging, consider the New Year a time to scale back a bit. New Year’s Resolutions lists always contain something about simplifying your life. Why not apply the environmental carbon credit logic and use less in January to compensate for your more indulgent ways in December?