Millions of Christmas trees will be dumped in the landfill, left in alley ways, dropped off randomly in the desert. Will yours be one of them? After you hear this show, we certainly hope not. Cristina will share with us why you should recycle your Christmas tree, where the many locals for drop off are throughout the City of Tucson and what you need to do to get your tree “recycle ready.” And not to be forgotten? What does the City do to further recycle when you recycle your tree? You will love the answer and you might want to participate in getting some “leftovers.” Let’s get excited about spreading the good, green word this holiday season by recycling your tree and knowing just where to throw it. Please join us.
SHOW NOTES: WAYS TO REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
INSIGHTS
– Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans produce 25% more trash than any other time of year – that’s 1 million tons of trash!
– 600,000 tons of trash into the Tucson landfill alone. That’s more than enough to fill the Arizona stadium!
– Many people do not notice how much food and materials they waste during the holidays, and it adds up very quickly!
– Americans also tend to use more light and energy during the holidays!
WAYS TO TAKE ACTION:
– BYOB (bring your own bag) – Thousands of plastic bags end up in landfills during the holidays!
– Recycle! – But it’s also important to be sure there’s absolutely no food residue on anything, including aluminum foil and baking pans and do not throw styrofoam, tissue paper, tinsel or film plastic into the recycling bin.
– Buy Rechargeable Batteries – Almost 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Switching from regular batteries to rechargeable batteries can help save a ton of money and energy and reduce waste!
– Use LED Christmas lights – they might be a little bit more expensive but they will last longer and you’ll save on your energy bills!
CREATIVE FUN IDEAS FOR REDUCING WASTE!
Instead of giving people things or stuff, here are some green gift ideas:
– Put together a family recipe book of all your family favorites to be past on to generations to come!
– Buy some experience tickets to do something together. This creates #Connection and #Community!
– Give the gift of your time and treat them to an evening out.
– Support a LOCALLY owned restaurant by giving them a gift certificate to one!
– Bake some homemade goodies! Who doesn’t love some cookies?
– Give them a framed photo or put together a photo album (they’ll have it forever)
– Pinterest has LOTS of great ideas!
– And check out the Trash is for Tossers Zero Waste Holiday Gift Guide for some cute ideas
TREE RECYCLING:
-Last year between 17,000 to 20,000 Christmas trees were recycled last year in Tucson alone!
– Recycle Your Christmas Tree! Take all the ornaments, lights off, and stand off.
– “Tree Pool” – when dropping your tree off, bring your neighbor’s tree too. Fewer trips means cleaner air!
– Tucson Residents – Here’s all the tree recycling info on the City of Tucson Treecycle page
– Non-Tucson Residents – Google will help find your local resources
SHARE THE LOVE! Are you going GREENER this holiday season? Take pictures and/or share with us your reduce, reuse or recycling story and email it to info@mrsgreensworld and we just might feature you and your #greentip
Thanks, Cristina Polsgrove, from City of Tucson Environmental Services, for a fun and informative Down to Earth show!