by Morinville News Staff
Waste Free Edmonton wants everyone to be mindful of the excessive waste produced during this time of year. They say Canadian household produces 25 per cent more waste over the holiday season, amounting to approximately 540,000 tonnes of extra waste going into landfills.
Waste Free Edmonton created a booklet with examples of how to be more conscious about purchasing and disposal over the Christmas season.
The booklet is available for download on the Waste Free Edmonton website
“Think about how many gifts you bought or received that have never been used and eventually just wind up being thrown away,” said Co-founder and Director Melissa Gorrie. “You can celebrate the holidays and show your loved ones that you care in more engaging and thoughtful ways that don’t involve the typical over-consumption.”
The booklet talks about holiday waste from shopping online, buying in-store, and the complications Waste Free Edmonton says are associated with the disposal of non-recyclable holiday waste, including gift wrapping.
The booklet offers better buying and gift-giving habits along with wrapping alternatives that reduce what ends up in a landfill. Although, the changes suggested in this booklet are small, Waste Free Edmonton believe it can make a significant impact on reducing waste and helping the environment.
“When you think about the life cycle impacts of the holiday items we purchase – including extraction, manufacturing, and shipping before it ultimately ends up in a landfill, that’s a lot of emissions,” Gorrie said. “Landfills get overloaded with waste, and it increases our carbon footprint. By buying less, we can reduce the amount of waste we produce during the busiest commercial season of the year, and make a positive environmental impact.”
Thanks for this timely suggestion!
Great and simple ideas! Experiences and second hand gifts are just as loved as the ones the come packaged in layers of plastic and cardboard.