Here's an e-mail we just received from the New York City Department of Sanitation:
The holidays are a time for exchanging gifts but this year, give more, waste less and lighten the load for Santa's clean up crew!
how to reduce waste over the holidays recycling during the holidays make your own mulch Christmas tree recycling
How to reduce waste over the holidays
Some suggestions for a less-wasteful holiday season:
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Give homemade gifts, such as cookies, handcrafts, or framed photos.
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Give entertainment, such as museum memberships; tickets to movies, theater, concerts, or sporting events; gift certificates to a favorite restaurant.
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Give learning, such as language or music lessons; classes in cooking, photography, or other favorite hobbies.
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Give your time or talent, such as baby-sitting, pet-sitting, computer help, or home repairs.
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Give fitness, such as gym memberships, personal training sessions, or classes in yoga, pilates, or dance.
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Give pampering, such as a massage, facial, manicure, or pedicure.
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Give to the greater good by making a contribution to someone's favorite charity.
Other ways to cut down on waste this holiday season:
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use an artificial tree instead of a real tree, and reuse it year after year. (If you do buy a real tree, leave the tinsel off so it can be recycled in January .)
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send email greetings rather than paper cards to cut down on paper waste.
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wrap gifts in reusable gift bags or create your own gift wrap using maps or comics. (If you do buy gift wrap and greeting cards, make sure they're made from recycled paper.)
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Use durable plastic ware designed for reuse rather than purchasing new cups and plates for each event. Use washable, reusable sponges, dishcloths, and napkins. If you use disposable paper goods, choose products made with recycled content.
And don't forget, others may want the stuff you no longer need. There are many local charitable organizations interested in receiving your gently used clothing, furniture, books, and electronic goods. For more info, see new homes for old stuff .
Recycling during the holidays
Keep in mind that you can recycle much of the paper generated during the holidays:
Recycle your holiday cards and promotional mail. This time of year, we get inundated with mail and catalogs. When you're done with these, recycle them with your mixed paper and cardboard . Do this year round with all unwanted mail !
Recycle paper gift wrap and cardboard boxes. Paper gift wrap and cardboard tubes are recyclable. So are the cardboard boxes that contain your presents. Recycle these along with your other mixed paper and cardboard .
You can also recycle many of the beverage containers that hold your favorite holiday drinks, such as wine and beer bottles. You can even recycle the carton that holds your eggnog. Recycle these along with other designated metal, glass, and plastic recyclables .
Check the Department of Sanitation's holiday collection schedule to know when to set out your recyclables.
Make your own mulch for your garden or street trees
A mulch of evergreen boughs protects and enriches your garden or street tree soil. Branches laid over the soil prevent erosion, compaction, and the repeated freezing and thawing that can damage plants. And soil texture is improved when the needles and twigs eventually break down.
Making mulch is simple: Just cut off the smaller branches of your Christmas tree, or separate garland and wreath boughs. Lay the branches down three to four inches thick around street trees, plantings, or directly over bare soil. After removing the branches for mulch, you can follow the steps described in the 2009 Christmas tree collections section to handle your stripped Christmas tree trunk. Contact the NYC Compost Project in your borough for more information.
MulchFest drop-off locations DSNY curbside collection
Remove all lights, ornaments, stands, and plastic bags from your tree and bring it to a MulchFest location on Saturday and Sunday, January 10 & 11, 2009 from 10 am to 2 pm.
Bring your clean Christmas tree to designated sites , where it will be chipped into mulch. Bring a bag if you want free mulch, which will be provided at select MulchFest locations. Go to mulching for more info on how to use mulch.
Green-Wood Cemetery MulchFest in Brooklyn:
Drop off trees at Green-Wood Cemetery (5th Avenue & 25th Street Entrance) from 8 am to 4:30 pm daily from January 1 thru 9 and until 2 pm on January 10. Get mulch year-round! From 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, January 10, a tree chipper will be on site and the Master Composters from the Brooklyn Compost Project will be available to answer all your composting questions.
Go to the MulchFest page on the Parks website for additional mulchfest info.
DSNY will collect clean Christmas trees left at the curb for composting starting Monday, January 5 through Friday, January 16.
Remove all lights, ornaments, and stands from your tree before setting it out at the curb for collection. Trees that still have these items attached can't be composted and will be collected as trash.
For info on what DSNY does with collected trees, go to Christmas trees . Check the NYCWasteLe$$ events calendar for upcoming composting workshops and events.