Creative content courtesy of Metro Vancouver
The holiday season brings traditions, family, fun and unexpected surprises, but often it can also mean more waste being sent to the landfill.
Tips for Tackling Holiday Waste
We asked Lethbridge residents for some ideas on how they reduce waste while they shop or prepare for festivities. Here are some of the ideas that were sent to us:
Fabric gift bags or fabric wrapping. Your friends and family will love unique (and reusable) gift wrapping. Check out our gift wrap suggestion video.
Newspaper, magazines and old maps all make fun gift wrap.
Brown paper bags or brown paper are a great blank canvas to decorate with paint or markers. Plain brown paper, unlike regular wrapping paper, is recyclable.
Home-made decorations for the tree. Decorations can even be made from materials you can compost when you're done.
Old toys can be repurposed into fun decorations for the tree or around the house.
Borrowing from nature; pinecones, fallen pin branches, berries can all make festive additions to your home.
Give a gift that supports protecting wildlife, natural areas, or other environmentally or socially beneficial programs.
Potted plants or plant a tree in someone's name are great ways to show you care.
Get a pass for swimming, a concert, or sporting event. Check out what's coming up at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena or other events through Visit Lethbridge.
For more low waste gift ideas, check out these great resources:
Tackling Holiday Food Waste
Plan Ahead and Shop Smart. Before going to the grocery store, make a plan of the Holiday meals you’d like to make. Do an inventory check of what you already have at home. Stick to your plan. The grocery store is not the place for wishful thinking, "Maybe I will bake cookies or maybe I will try this new holiday recipe"... Wishful thinking is a common cause of excessive food waste.
Love your Leftovers. Get Creative! There are many unique and delicious recipes online for using up leftovers. For leftover recipe ideas visit Love Food Hate Waste Canada. Or, trust you foodie instincts and make up your own culinary creations!
Shopping Tips to Reduce Waste
Ask yourself: Will they use this? How long will they use it for? Is it worth the environmental impact?
Buy local when possible. Try a local community shared agriculture or food box program (your loved one will be treated to regular fresh fruit, veggies and/or meat).
Look for quality over quantity. Items that are made to last are always appreciated and do not need to be replaced in the near future.
Look for items with less or no packaging. Place excess cardboard and paper into your blue cart or take the materials to a Lethbridge Recycling Station.
When ordering online, look for sustainable shipping. Avoid the faster two day shipping and request items be sent together when possible. Check out how to properly sort online packaging.
Put Waste in the Right Place!
Not everything is recyclable. Styrofoam and wrapping paper, ribbons and bows are not recyclable. Plastic film (including bubble wrap, air pockets etc.) are not accepted in the blue cart but can be recycled at one of the three recycling stations.
Avoid Wish-Cycling. This is the practice of tossing questionable items in the recycling bin, hoping they can be recycled. As much as we all want to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible, wish-cycling can contaminate actual recyclables, damage equipment or hurt workers at the recycling facility.
Use the City's Waste Wizard to look up where an item should be thrown away.
Contact Us
City Hall
910 4 Avenue South
Lethbridge, AB T1J 0P6
Phone: 311
or 403-320-3111 (if outside of Lethbridge)
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