Christmas Recycling

Recycling gift wrapping, cards and boxes

Recycling your holiday boxes, cards, and even wrapping paper is easier when you take the time to be a little creative. Not only will you be reducing waste and trash levels, but can also come up with some unique designs and creations. If you're not the artsy type, consider using gift wrap and tree trimmings to spruce up a holiday basket for a simple touch. Here are some more easy ways to recycle holiday gift wrapping, boxes, and other gift decorations: Collect wrapping paper squares for scrap booking projects. Wrapping paper works as a great background for scrapbooks, and you can cut out small squares and other shapes for a simple paper collection.

Recycle cards to make gift tags. Printed cards can easily be cut down into small gift tags and even miniature place cards for your holiday table. You can also use wrapping paper cutouts to make your own unique gift tags. Shred it for festive holiday gift baskets. You can use your home office shredder to make up strands of holiday-themed 'stuffing' for baskets and gift boxes. Make homemade place mats. Make your own holiday place mats by laminating sheets of thin cardboard and a collage of your favorite holiday designs. Make some coasters. Put together some cardboard cutouts with a covering of holiday wrapping paper, and seal it with tape or laminate sheets for a tabletop coaster. Line the holiday baked goods cupboard. A simple way to spruce up the pantry, cover the shelves with holiday wrapping paper for instant kitchen decor. Use it to make gift decorations. Empty boxes wrapped in holiday wrapping paper make great holiday accessories around the tree or anywhere else that needs some dressing up. Make your own gift certificate envelopes. An easy way to put your origami skills to good use, a gift certificate presented in an homemade envelope easily adds a creative touch.

Ways to recycle the Christmas Tree

Using a home mulching machine, pine needles from the family Christmas tree can provide a creative alternative to standard store bought mulch. For home gardening, mulching the Christmas tree pine needles will provide a pleasant look and smell to the outdoor garden especially those home gardens and landscapes which are along the edge of a home. In addition to your own personal landscape, also consider donating Christmas tree needle mulch to your local parks and recreations facility for use in public parks.

Firewood:For a home with a fireplace, the tree trunk can be dried out, in the outdoors, and then cut for use as firewood. Offering a pleasant burning scent, the Christmas tree will provide for firewood burning for several days. The key, however, to using the Christmas tree trunk as firewood is to ensure the trunk is adequately dried out prior to cutting and burning. Proper drying will also provide for a beautiful display of colors and scents from within the fireplace.

Kindling:As a further enhancement to home fireplace burning, tree branches can also be dried and used as kindling to improve the longevity of the Christmas tree trunk fireplace burning. Again, the key to use of Christmas tree branches, as kindling, involves the drying process prior to use.

Recycling:For homes not equipped with a fireplace, consider recycling the tree in an effort to provide other families with the pleasant Christmas tree burning experience. Recycling of the Christmas tree can take place through local Christmas tree recycling programs. During recycling, in areas close to lakes, Christmas trees are often disposed through a process of sinking the tree into the lake to provide a fish habitat.

Recycling Christmas Lights

The first is a program through HolidayLEDS.com in Michigan. It is quite simple you just package up your old lights and send them to:

HolidayLEDs.com

Attn: Recycling Program

2500 W. Argyle St.

Jackson, MI 49202

After they receive the lights, they will email you a coupon for 15% off of anything on their website. For more information check out their website HolidayLEDS.com.

Another option is to send them to Christmas Light Source in Texas. By sending them your lights, you can join a force for literacy. Here is how their program works, package up your lights and send them to:

Christmas Light Source Recycling Program

1923 6th Avenue

Fort Worth, TX 76110

They will then send the lights to a local recycling company who will take your lights and recycle the copper, glass and plastic. The recycling company pays a small amount per pound of lights - like the money you get for aluminum cans.
All proceeds from the Christmas lights recycling program will be used to purchase Usborne books that will be donated to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
Since Usborne offers a 50% match on donations, for every $100 in proceeds from Christmas lights recycling, $150 in fun, educational children's books will be purchased and donated to the Dallas/Fort Worth Marine Toys for Tots center.
For more information go to their website Christmas Light Source.