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As the holiday season comes to an end, families are disposing of bags filled with torn-up wrapping paper, getting rid of leftovers that didn’t quite make it to the plate and taking down seasonal decorations for the new year.
However, what some may not realize is the glittering gift wrap, disposable decorations and excess food waste significantly harm the environment, advocates say.
Household waste increases by more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, according to the Clean Air Partnership, a public-private organization that advocates for air quality. The added waste from food, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons contributes to an additional 1 million tons of trash entering landfills each week.
Sarah Blount, the program director of research and evaluation at the National Environmental Education Foundation, a nonprofit that complements the work of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said that when holiday materials decompose in landfills they produce greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide.
“Methane is a climate change powerhouse. It’s 28 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere,” Blount said.
Landfills rank as the third-largest human-related source of methane emissions in the United States. According to Blount, landfills generate emissions equivalent to 23 million gas-powered vehicles.
“Reducing the amount of methane that we produce and we pump into the atmosphere, it’s an important step in slowing climate change,” Blount said. “And one way that we can do that is by reducing the amount of waste that we send to landfills during the holidays.”
Blount said some of the biggest sources of holiday waste are wrapping paper, returns, food, travel and decorations.
Some consumers are finding ways to lessen the damage.
Sherry Skalko, a North Side Chicago resident, founded Reduce Waste Chicago, a nonprofit that works to address climate change through waste reduction. Skalko said she had the idea for her nonprofit after being “radicalized by a toothbrush.”
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Because toothbrushes can’t be recycled from home, Skalko looked into TerraCycle, a waste management company that has a program for recycling dental hygiene waste but was faced with a minimum requirement of 5 pounds.
“Do you know how many toothbrushes it takes to get to 5 pounds?” Skalko asked. “More than my little family of three can produce.”
Skalko began telling her neighbors to leave their recyclable items on her porch and hosting recycling pop-ups. Her commitment to waste reduction initiatives ultimately inspired her to launch the nonprofit in 2021.
Each year, Reduce Waste Chicago hosts events across the city to collect items to be reused or repurposed. Included in a list of items Chicago residents can drop off are nonworking holiday lights.
Skalko said that over the last two years the organization has collected about 2,800 pounds of holiday lights.
“There’s so many things that people can do to reduce their waste during the holidays,” Skalko said. “When you try to approach it as ‘I’m going to do everything,’ it can be overwhelming.”
Returning gifts
While receiving gifts during the holidays can be a joyous tradition, holiday gift returns can have a negative impact on the environment.
Optoro, a technology company looking to make retail more sustainable, released a report in 2020 researched by the Environmental Capital Group that found about 5.8 billion pounds of returned inventory ends up in landfills each year. In addition, the environmental research organization found the shipping process for returns emits close to 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.
The environmental impact of holiday gifts also encompasses the materials involved in their presentation — wrapping paper, boxes, gift bags, bows and ribbons.
The United States is estimated to produce 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper each year, with half ending up in landfills. According to Blount, most wrapping paper and gift bags are coated with glitter and plastic and are not recyclable.
The Clean Air Partnership reports that approximately 8,000 tons of wrapping paper are used annually, the equivalent of about 50,000 trees.
To limit holiday waste, Blount recommends giving a gift that does not need packaging, like an experience. She also suggests reusing gift wrap or opting for materials that can be used year after year.
Trees and decorations
The Christmas tradition of decorating a tree with ornaments and lights also has an impact.
Although 25 million to 30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States every year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association, the consumer demand for a real tree has decreased.
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A survey from the American Christmas Tree Association found 77% of consumers displaying a tree this holiday season said they would opt for an artificial one. However, the tree association states artificial trees contain nonbiodegradable plastics that take years to decompose when sent to a landfill.
To maximize sustainability, Blount recommends using a real Christmas tree or holding onto an artificial one for at least 20 years.
Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation in partnership with the Chicago Park District is hosting its annual Holiday Tree Recycling Program at 27 locations throughout the city. Thousands of trees dropped off at these sites are used as mulch for local parks and forests.
Food waste
While decorations and gifts are large contributors to landfills, Blount said food is the biggest source of waste around the holidays.
Overall, Blount said, 30% of edible food in the United States goes uneaten each year. Consumers can help by trying to limit food waste while shopping and by composting leftovers and scraps, both of which reduce potential methane emissions from landfills.
Liam Donnelly, founder of WasteNot, a Chicago company that offers composting services for a fee to homes and businesses, said 40% of what most homes throw away can be composted with WasteNot.
Donnelly said he recommends consumers create shopping lists and plan meals ahead of time to reduce excess purchasing that leads to unwanted leftovers during holidays.
“Wasted food not only wastes the energy that goes into creating the food in the first place, but food waste in our landfills creates a significant amount of methane,” Donnelly said. “On a global scale, food waste is responsible for 8% to 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions.”
WasteNot also collects Christmas trees from Chicago residents’ homes to be composted, and Donnelly said the nonprofit partnered with Reduce Waste Chicago this year to collect broken holiday lights for recycling.
Celebrating sustainably
For Skalko, low consumer awareness of how waste affects the environment is the greatest barrier to sustainability.
Skalko said consumers should consider the life cycle of products when buying new items — though manufacturers also should bear the burden of environmental responsibility.
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Afternoon Briefing
“The unfortunate part of it is, right now, that consideration is falling on the part of the consumer, which is a significant and unfortunate burden for us to bear,” Skalko said.
Despite the environmental toll the holidays take on the environment, Skalko remains optimistic that more consumers are looking to develop sustainable habits.
“I think a lot of people want to do the right thing and want to do their part in saving the environment. They just don’t know how,” Skalko said.
Editor’s note: Some versions of this story incorrectly described WasteNot. The company offers composting services for a fee to homes and businesses.