Mya Fayyaz
Exchanging gifts, ordering holiday drinks, and putting up lights are just a few holiday traditions we look forward to all year. Unfortunately, there’s another holiday tradition that goes unnoticed. From gift wrap to coffee cups, we create an excess of trash this time of year.
In fact, during the holidays, household waste increases by 25% compared to the average month, and we hardly take notice. Studies show that the US alone generated 5.8 million tons of additional waste in December. That’s equal to the weight of 28,700 Boeing 747 aircraft!
How bad is the damage that we’ve done?
The holidays are especially disadvantageous because we throw away so much packaging, wrapping paper, and single-use decor. The biggest culprit among seasonal waste is plastic and especially non-biodegradable materials. Large quantities of plastic waste take time to degrade but ultimately break down into microplastics.
Unfortunately, the season’s prettiest plastic, glitter, is a (micro)plastic which means it also falls under this category as well. The problem with glitter is that it cannot be broken down further in size. Glitter has become so pervasive that it has been found as far as Lake Ontario to Glasgow, Scotland, and from Norway to Iran! While we can’t reverse the damage to the environment we can prevent any further harm.
What can we do about it?
Despite all of this, we can still take steps this holiday season to reduce our environmental footprint. When it comes to gifting, we can do better. Avoid contributing to fast fashion by going with secondhand clothes instead. Secondhand clothing purchases can prevent buying 1 billion new items from fast fashion brands. Alternatively, consider gifting people experiences instead of physical items. Examples of this could be concert tickets or a cooking class.
When decorating we can cut down on single-use décor. Spend your money on decorations that can be used year after year instead of décor that lasts just one day. You can also create handmade ornaments from dried fruit, fabric, or wood. Swap from incandescent lights to LED lights. LED lights are a great option since they use 80% less energy than their counterparts.
Of course, let’s not stop there. When putting together a feast, consider giving up disposable plastics. Any washable alternative will reduce waste production. (Corinne, 2024) Consider shopping at local markets as well to reduce your carbon footprint.
Why should we care?
Celebrating in an eco-friendly way is beneficial for the environment and also expresses our compassion for the future. When you cut down on waste and focus on sustainability you are creating new holiday traditions. You’re advocating for awareness and inspiring others. Every contribution no matter how big or small adds up to meaningful change.
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Citations
Center for Biological Diversity. (n.d.). “Stats & facts.” https://simplifytheholidays.org/stats-and-facts#:~:text=Each%20person%20generates%2036%20more,other%20months%20of%20the%20year.
Corinne, Leard. (2024) “Celebrate with Care: Tips for a Sustainable Holiday Season .” Oceana, 18 Nov. 2024, oceana.org/blog/celebrate-with-care-tips-for-a-sustainable-holiday-season/.
Lewis, P. (2023). Have a Happy Waste-Free Holiday: Before you deck the halls, check out these ways to reduce your environmental footprint--whichever holiday you celebrate. Mother Earth News, (321), 44+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A774988595/AONE?u=anon~daf8cff8&sid=googleScholar&xid=7ce40d4d
Office, FCAN. “December’s Action: Reduce, Reuse, Rejoice - Sustainable Holiday Tips.” FreeportCAN, 2 Dec. 2024, freeportcan.org/decembers-action-sustainable-holiday-tips/
Yurtsever, Meral. (2019) “Tiny shiny and colorful microplastics.” Marine Pollution Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.07.009.