Holiday Tips from MassDEP:
'Green' Your Holidays without Emptying Your Wallet

This year you can make environmentally-sound holiday decisions that don't result in the emptying of your wallet, or prevent you and your loved ones from enjoying this festive season.  Once again, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) offers a few holiday tips and suggestions that will not only help protect the earth, but could easily result in the saving of some "green" - as in money! 

Recent statistics show Massachusetts residents produce 25 percent more trash and use about 5 percent more energy between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but with a few simple and deliberate choices - think "reduce, re-use and recycle" - those statistics could easily improve.  You may find it's not only good for the environment, but a simplified, less consumption-based holiday could result in a less stressful time, and allow you to spend more of that time with family and friends.

Reduce

• Reduce energy consumption. Save energy and money: purchase LED (Light Emitting Diode) holiday lights, which are 90 percent more efficient than incandescent lighting.  Consider this example: a household with 10 strands of lights plugged in for six hours a day for one month would spend about $56.70 on large, incandescent bulbs; $12.96 for traditional mini-lights; and, just 65 cents for LEDs. [Depending on usage, specific LED costs will vary, but the lights pay for themselves after a season because LED lights over the long haul have an expected 20-year lifespan. Go to www.mass.gov/doer/ for more information ]
  
• Reduce energy usage.  You can save a lot of energy by simply,
  • Using a timer on your house and Christmas tree lights to avoid keeping the lights on all night. 
  • Using energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs (or give one as a gift!).  Compact fluorescent bulbs last longer and use about 1/4 to 1/3 of the energy of an incandescent bulb. By substituting a compact fluorescent light for a standard bulb, you can prevent the emission of 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and reduce your electric bill by more than $100 over the life of those bulbs.
  • Reduce unused gifts.  Give a consumable gift.  Whether it's organic coffee or tea, fresh or dried nuts, movie tickets, or another consumable gift, you can be assured that your gift doesn't collect dust sitting in the corner.
  • Reduce waste at your dinner table.  Compost your food waste. It's easy and provides a natural fertilizer for next year's garden. Use reusable plates, cups and silverware instead of disposable ones.  You can find a handy brochure on home composting at MassDEP's website: www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/composti.pdf

Reuse:

• Reuse ribbon and gift decorations.  Recent statistics reveal that 38,000 miles of ribbon gets simply tossed out as trash each year - that's enough to tie a bow around the Earth.  Try accenting gifts with reusable festive items, like seasonal cookie cutters, a handmade ornament, or even fresh herbs, which can be included in holiday recipes.  Use reusable boxes, fun tote bags and/or colored pillowcases, instead of purchasing reams of expensive wrapping paper.
• Reuse a shopping bag. Carry a reusable tote when out shopping. Look for gifts made with recycled material and that have less packaging. Energy Star products.
• Reuse batteries.  Buy rechargeable batteries. Many stores have drop-off bins for the safe recycling of old batteries. About 40 percent of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. To recycle old rechargeable batteries and cell phones, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, a non-profit organization, has a locator to find drop-off locations. See our web site for details: www.mass.gov/dep

Recycle: 

• Recycle paper, and plastic, and glass, and aluminum, etc.  Statewide, over 300 communities provide access for recycling common items like paper, cans, bottles, and cardboard, but don't forget to recycle aluminum foil, which is used so much at this time of year. Simply recycling more paper, alone, would make a huge difference. Did you now Massachusetts' residents and businesses throw away approximately 1.5 million tons of paper a year?  By recycling just half of that amount we could reduce disposal costs by over $50 million annually.  Also, before purchasing, that holiday wrapping with a metallic sheen (plastic content) keep in mind it's not recyclable.
• Give recycled gifts.  Give a gift made of recycled content.  Whether you make it yourself or purchase it from a local or online retailer, a recycled content gift uses fewer resources than something made from new material.  It's easier than ever to find beautiful home furnishings, accessories, clothing, and other imaginative gifts made of recycled content.
  o Recycle trees.  More than 200 Massachusetts towns and cities provide venues for the collection of cut Christmas trees, which are then recycled into compost or mulch.
• Visit your community's web site for local tree recycling options.  When recycled, the trees get chipped and used as mulch for natural areas.      

Questions about these topics or for more tips on how to 'green' your holidays, go to our web site at: www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/   Happy holidays to all the residents and guests this year in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond.

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