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Education and Outreach
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Holiday Shopping Guide
This holiday season,
consider the impact your celebration has on the
environment. There are a number of ways you can modify
your choices this season to reduce the amount of waste you
create. From the GIFTS you buy and the
type of GIFT WRAP you use, to the HOLIDAY
CARDS you send, we hope you'll find these tips helpful
this month, and all year long. Also, stay tuned for
locations to recycle or dispose of your Christmas tree after your
celebration is over.
Conservatree
has put together
information about purchasing holiday cards that are printed on
recycled paper. They recommend the ones below on their
website. For more tips about purchasing paper items
(including calendars and office products) with recycled-content,
click here.
· Hallmark's
Shoebox Greetings, My Thoughts Exactly, and Comedy Club
lines
· Leanin' Tree's
Western and Native American art
· Peaceable
Kingdom's illustrations from favorite children's books
· Pomegranate's photos
and illustrations
· Recycled Paper
Greetings
The California
Department of Conservation has created a Green Gift Guide
TM to help consumers purchase products made
from recycled materials, including bottles and cans. The site
features more than 60 individual and national recycled product
retailers including industry leaders such as LL Bean, Birkenstock
and PETsMart, as well as a variety of small businesses such as
Point Beach Outdoors and Fire and Light.
From fleece products
made from recycled plastic bottles to decorative dishware made from
recycled glass bottles, these companies offer items for everyone on
your holiday list. The Green Gift Guide also includes a variety of
eco-friendly tips for holiday entertaining and decorating.
Consumers will also find creative gift-wrapping ideas and tips on
how to "be green" all year round.
Some of CVWMA's
favorite green gifts (and suppliers):
Most wrapping paper
cannot be recycled in our area due to the metallic dyes used in
making it (it's not compatible with the other papers we collect.)
Instead save it to reuse next year. Another idea
is to recycle papers like the Sunday comics pages or to create your
own using brown craft paper and stamps - a good activity for the
kids! A third option is to use reuseable items like gift
bags or packaging that is also part of the gift – for example, a
set of kitchen items wrapped in kitchen towels!
Click here
for more ideas.
Hosting a No Waste Party or Event
- Send
invitations printed on recycled paper, or send electronic
invitations
- Decorate with plants, fabrics, and
other greeneries instead of plastic streamers, Mylar decorations,
or balloons
- Purchase
party supplies in bulk and buy only what you need. Buying the
largest size ually saves you packaging.
- Use usable dishes, utensils, cloth
tablecovers and napkins.
- Think of creative ways to serve
food; such as new frisbees as plates so guests can take them home
as gifts
- Set up an area to recycle bottles
and cans from party
- Non-perishable items can be donated
tolocal food bank
CVWMA Reminders about Holiday Recycling
- No collections on December 25th and January
1st. Collections scheduled
for Tuesday through Friday in the weeks of Christmas and
New Year's Day will be delayed one day each.
- Wrapping paper cannot
be recycled due to the metallic dyes used in making it. (Instead
save it and reuse it next year.)
- Cardboard boxes need
to be flattened and should be no larger than 2 x 3 feet. (You can
cut boxes down to the appropriate size using box
cutters.)
- Don't cover your
recyclables set out at the curb for collection, even if it is
raining or snowing.
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