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Holiday Waste Facts: How to Prevent Extra Garbage

 by General Kinematics,

Did you know that the average person throws away 25 percent more trash in the few weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than any other time of the year? Just because the holiday season is going to bring with it a fresh new load of food, decorations, cards, wrapping paper, and even trees doesn’t mean we need to simply shrug our shoulders. If you are like us here at GK, and hoping to help the planet avoid extra holiday waste, check out these facts and pick up a tip or two that will get you started.

Wrapping Paper

Since wrapping paper is typically a one and done holiday accessory, you can avoid spending money on what amounts go to the garbage can by using magazine pages, the Sunday comics, or even old maps in its place. Or, you can avoid the hassle of wrapping altogether by putting your gift in a reusable bag or box.

Go New Wave Tech

This holiday season, the temptation to get someone an electronic gift will be high (because they’re really cool). Try finding a gift that runs on renewable energy like solar power, for example. Not only will the tech be fun, but no batteries are required.

Give the Gift of Time

Sure, that sounds a little lame, but you might underestimate the impact that pledging a future dinner, an offer of free babysitting or an outing can have. You just have to follow through on it.

Hosting a Holiday Party? Recycle

What’s more, make sure that your recycling bin is placed prominently within the house so that your guests know where to deposit the bottles. Just because it’s a festive occasion doesn’t mean we have to act irresponsibly.

Try Plants or Trees as Gifts

There’s nothing that will help spruce up the holiday season like the gift of a potted flower or a tree. Not only will the gift serve as a reminder for years to come, but it adds a splash of color to any home. Trees, especially, can be treasured additions to a home while helping make the Earth a greener place.

These are just a few simple tips that will help you save Mother Earth a little strain this holiday season. All you really need to do is remember the grade school adage “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Be conscious of where you typically waste, reuse anything you possibly can, and then recycle whatever you can’t. Once you get in the habit, you’ll be doing your part to make this holiday season a little greener.

If you want to learn more about recycling, be sure to check out the rest of the General Kinematics blog!

General Kinematics Corporation, incorporated in 1960, was established to market, design, and custom fabricate innovative vibratory equipment for the foundry, recycling, mining, and processing industries. Today the company continues as one of the world’s largest suppliers of vibratory processing equipment and has evolved into an industry-leading EPC firm. Headquartered in Crystal Lake, IL, General Kinematics has seven global locations providing engineering and support to a world-wide customer base. GK is a third generation, family-owned company and is ISO 9001 certified.