The stockings have been hung. The carols have been sung. The Christmas tree has been decorated and admired, and the presents have been opened. What you do with all of it in the days after the holiday can make and impact on the Earth. Here are some tips for after Christmas green living.
Non LED Christmas Lights
You purchased all new eco-friendly LED lights. But now what do you do with the old ones. Throwing them away is not a good idea. Recycling these lights properly is the way to go. There are two services that will do this for you.
http://www.holidayleds.com/holidayledscom_christmas_light_recycling_program
http://www.christmas-light-source.com/
Christmas Cards
First repurpose your Christmas cards to give them a second life. The simplest thing to do is to repurpose them into Christmas postcard that can be used the following year. Just cut off the front of the card. You can also do the same thing to make gift tags.
Another way to use old Christmas cards is to turn them into ornaments. Just punch out large circles from the cards and glue the plain ends together. Then punch or poke a hole and hang.
Wrapping Paper
If you have an excess of wrapping paper, of course you can recycle it. You can also compost the paper if it is shredded finely enough. Save the paper for kids crafts or as scrap paper as well. Finally, save the paper to turn it into decorations that can be used next year, such as a paper wreath or paper chains.
Christmas Tree
If you have a live tree that needs to be removed, consider having the tree chipped into mulch or wood chips. This is an environmentally friendly way to dispose of the tree and put it to good use. You shouldn’t burn your tree for many reasons. One, burning is not environmentally friendly, and burning your tree could be dangerous.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
Related Articles: