| durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, December 15, 2023 | 14 Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover Thank You for Doing Your Part! Katherine Ross, Waste Management Technician for the Region of Durham talks everything Waste. Send your waste related questions or comments to waste@durham.ca If you require this information in an accessible format, please call 1-800-372-1102 • durham.ca/waste As the song goes, "It's the most wonderful time of the year"! However, the holiday season can also be one of the most wasteful times of the year. The traditions of giving gifts, decorating your home and entertaining friends and family can mean a lot of extra waste to manage. There are many opportunities for you to rethink, reduce, reuse, and recycle the remnants of holiday cheer. When shopping: Bring your own reusable tote bag rather than accepting a separate plastic bag for each purchase. Remember to buy products that contain reduced amounts of packaging or packaging which can be recycled in your blue box. Give gifts that last or give a shared experience, like tickets to a movie, concert, or sporting event. Holiday Parties: Use cloth napkins, silverware, glass drinking cups and ceramic coffee mugs, and reusable plates rather than disposable plastic or styrofoam at holiday parties. Rent party furnishings rather than buying things you will only use once a year. Compost: Compost any leftover food scraps in your green bin. Consider donating canned or dry goods you don't need to local food banks. Please check that boxes and cans are not damaged, open, or expired. Batteries: Do your presents include electronics and talking furry friends? Be sure to stock up on rechargeable batteries, a great gift idea that keeps giving even after the holidays. Be sure to save all your spent batteries for the curbside battery recycling collection in April. Donate items to charity: New gifts will often replace appliances, toys and clothes that still have a useful life. Donate items to charity or post items that are in good condition in your local buy and sell group. Rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle gift wrap: Don't use wrapping paper. Just add bows to holiday shopping bags or gift boxes. Wrap gifts in newspaper or old magazines. Get creative with fabric and use dishtowels, or scarves, which can simply be washed and reused. Give gifts in baskets, tins, or jars. Save bows, ribbons, and gift bags to reuse next year. Recycle your gift wrap in the blue box. Foil and metallic wraps should be put in the garbage. Recycle packaging: The holiday season creates a tremendous amount of cardboard waste. Be sure to flatten small boxes, and place securely in your blue box, or place flattened and tied cardboard bundles on top your blue boxes. E-recycle: Now that you've got that new tablet, flat screen, or camera, take your old electronics to your local Waste Management Facility for recycling or look for curbside collection programs available in your area. Check our website (durham.ca/waste) for more information. Christmas trees: Once the big day has passed and the ornaments are safely packed away for next year, there's just one thing left to do. Christmas tree composting helps return a renewable resource back to the environment. Please remove all tinsel, decorations, ornaments and stands prior to placing your tree outside for collection. Do not place your Christmas tree in a plastic tree bag, as it won't be collected. Please ensure trees are not buried in snow or frozen to the ground. Check your waste management calendar for collection dates in your area. Get the app: Make garbage day easier over the holiday season. Download the free Durham Region Waste App or Whitby Waste Buddy App through Google Play or the App Store. We'll remind you the day before collection of what's being collected that week. Remember, it's a season for giving, not discarding. Happy holidays from the Region of Durham Works Department. Holiday Waste Reduction Tips