This year, many people across the country are making a resolution to reduce their trash impact this holiday season.  Why?  Let’s take a look at reasons to take action to smash your trash impact this holiday season by the numbers…

• 43% : the percent increase in the average American’s waste during the holiday season.
• 30 lbs: what that holiday weekly average increase in trash looks like in weight. 
• 25 million tons: extra garbage that Americans produce between Thanksgiving and New Years. 
• 5.7 million elephants:  what that extra Holiday-specific trash is equal to in weight in the U.S.A.

Here are 3 easy ways to make a difference and reduce your trash impact this holiday season:

• Cut down and cut out food packaging

Food packaging is a significant contributor to our holiday season waste - and for that matter- our waste year round.  Reducing your food packaging waste this holiday season makes a big impact.  Here are ways to do it:

• Bring reusable produce and shopping bags to the farmer’s market or grocery store.  Worldwide, one trillion single-use plastic bags are consumed each year.  89% of the plastic wreaking havoc in our oceans is made up of these single-use plastic items such as plastic bags, straws, and disposable utensils.  Let’s consider the impacts of our choices, and bring your reusable bags to the markets this holiday season and year round!

• Use reusable alternatives to plastic-based cellophane.  Single-use is out this holiday season!  If you’re looking to cover up or heat up leftovers, use a tupperware, or put a plate or glass cover over the top instead of plastic-based cellophane.  This cellophane adds to plastic pollution, which is associated with negative effects of plastic-breakdown in and out of landfills on soil, water, and oftentimes human and animal health.
• Go for unpackaged or minimally packaged food goods.  When you’re in the grocery store, go for the unpackaged head of lettuce vs. the plastic packaged one, get meat from the deli and ask for minimal butcher paper, vs. plastic-packaged meat… you get the point.  Look around and go no or minimal packaging.

• Hold the single-use cutlery and napkins for take-out.  If ordering take-out, be sure to mention and check you’re not getting anything unneeded.  If you’re having a picnic vs. taking it home, bring your reusable cutlery.  Check out our Sustainable Travel for the Holidays Tips for other tips on what to bring and what to do for sustainable travel.

• Reduce Food Waste

About 40% of the food on the shelves in the United States never gets eaten, and this goes up by 25% over the holiday season.  This is obviously a huge waste of the resources that go into food (from water, to farming and transportation carbon emissions, to packaging), and also a burden on landfills.  As they say, don’t let your eyes be bigger than your stomach this holiday season.  If you have leftovers, freeze them for a great meal in 2022 if possible, or compost them. 

• Minimize Gift Packaging

The majority of holiday waste comes from gift packaging and wrapping.  Make the choice to support and create consumer demand for eco-friendly or no packaging.  At Recover, we do not package our goods at our flagship store in Charlotte and provide minimal packaging for shipped orders.  Our packaging is 100% compostable, meaning it’s made from sustainable materials that break down into compost.  Look for gifts with zero packaging at local stores, and if you are buying gifts with packaging, look for packaging that is compostable, recyclable, and minimal.  For wrapping gifts, get creative and use recycled newspaper, catalogs, or reusable bags. 

Be the impact this holiday season.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Recover!