From hosting parties to having loved ones stay at your home, you’ll likely generate plenty of trash during the holidays. Fortunately, you can minimize waste by recycling and implementing a few green tactics. Here’s how you can keep your bins from filling up during the holiday season.

4 Ways to Minimize Holiday Waste

1. Send E-Cards

Although they’re cheerful and heartwarming, holiday greeting cards can generate an extraordinary amount of waste, especially if they’re sent with envelopes and return address labels. This year, send holiday cheer through cute, animated e-cards instead of using old fashioned paper mail.

2. Save Gift Wrap

When you open holiday presents, unwrap the paper carefully so that you can reuse it next year. You should also fold and save gift bags. Store everything in a large structured container so that they’re still presentable when the holidays roll around again.

3. Avoid Disposable Cutlery

When you host holiday parties, you’ll likely want to make cleanup as simple as possible. However, disposable plates and cutlery account for a significant portion of holiday waste. To minimize trash, use reusable plates, forks, spoons, and knives, and keep special appreciation gifts handy for guests who help you wash the dishes.

4. Use an Artificial Tree

If you decorate with a real tree during the holidays, you’ll likely put it on the curb once the season is over, which means it’ll end up in a landfill. Reduce waste by investing in an artificial tree that you can decorate just as beautifully and reuse every year.

If you have leftover trash despite your recycling efforts, contact the reliable team at Rainbow Waste Services in Kapolei, HI, to haul it away. This waste management company caters to homeowners across Oahu, offering timely trash and recycling pickup within 24 hours of any request. Learn more about their residential garbage removal services online, or call (808) 682-4797 to schedule a pickup.