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"Green" gift buying

Try buying gifts that will not only last a long time, but will help reduce the amount of waste generated during the holidays.

• Give your own personal gift certificates for baby-sitting, home-cooked gourmet meals, or snow shoveling
• Give gifts which are durable so items are not thrown away after limited use
• Give an experience: gifts like theatre, sporting event and musical tickets, a spa treatment or dinner out, instead of buying products that contain excess packaging
• Make home-made gifts such as food or crafts (these can be reusable too)
• Pass on the green spirit: adopt a piece of the rain forest in the name of a loved one,  a set of reusable food containers or a potted plant

Christmas trees and home decorations

• Keep the living alive: buy a potted Christmas tree or a large potted plant which can be transplanted into your garden in the spring
• Life after the holidays: greenery (fir trees, wreaths and boughs) can be used as mulch in your garden, composted or put out for City collection (check your local calendar for dates and instructions) – please don’t throw them in your garbage
• Instead of spending money on commercial home decorations, try making some of your own.  For example use strings of popcorn and cranberries instead of tinsel to decorate your tree.  When the tree is taken down place popcorn and cranberry strings outside to feed the birds
• Time it: put your outdoor lights and decorations on a timer so they’re not burning throughout the night

Useful and creative alternatives for the wrapping of gifts

Most paper used in consumer packaging can be recycled in your Blue Bin (you can mix containers with paper now that the City does the sorting for you). Here are some creative ideas for wrapping up your gifts so you can reduce the amount of new paper you use and save money.

• Wrap your presents in newspaper. Use the comic section of any newspaper, old calendars or magazines
• Holiday gift bags can be exchanged and reused over the years 
• Instead of using paper to wrap gifts use a fabric wrap, for example a new tea towel, tablecloth, napkin or pillowcase.  Try a pair of gloves for ‘wrapping’ jewelry gifts, a bath towel for oils and bubble bath and gardening tools can go in a composter.
• Use reuseable containers such as baskets, wood boxes, cookie tins, decorative jars and old shoe boxes to contain your gifts.  Simply decorate the container with fabric, poster paint or magazine cut-outs.  These gift boxes can in return be used again and again
• Make your own wrapping paper by decorating scrap paper, paper grocery bags or left-over tissue paper with ink or poster paint using cookie-cutters or a rubber stamp as the pattern or design

Cards and gift tags

To save trees and the energy used to produce festive cards and gift tags, use these handy tips to make use of excess paper and paper packaging. Keep your bows and ribbons to reuse next year.

• Create your own holiday greeting cards using any extra cardboard packaging from consumer goods 
• Make your own envelopes from paper grocery bags or other paper products.  Simply trace around the card and add triangles for flaps (cut triangles large enough so that they overlap the card)
• Call friends and relatives to wish them “Happy Holidays” instead of sending  cards
• Save any cards or wrapping paper used during this Christmas holiday for next Christmas.  Saved cards and wrapping paper can be used for creation of unique gift tags. To make gift tags use pinking shears to cut out pictures on old cards or wrapping paper

Entertaining ideas

• Get organized: buy foods in bulk to avoid excess consumer packaging
• Buy foods and drinks packaged in recyclable or returnable containers
• Minimize food waste by planning meals carefully
• Keep filling your green bin with leftover food, including fruit, vegetable, meat and fish scraps, soiled paper towels/tissues/paper food packaging, diapers, and pet waste
• Avoid whenever possible single-use paper products such as napkins, disposable dishes or cutlery. Consider renting dishes and cutlery if you are hosting a large party
• The personal touch: use the telephone as a means to invite friends and family over for the festive season, instead of sending paper invitations.  If you do use paper cards remember to buy paper products made of recycled post-consumer paper and place any paper cards or invitations in the Blue Bin.

Helpful tips to remember after the holiday season is over

• Save and reuse all boxes, bags, bows, ribbons and wrapping paper

• Remember to buy products that contain reduced amounts of packaging or packaging which can be recycled in your Blue Bin.  If you have any concerns as to what goes in your Blue Bin or how to dispose of an item, find out the answers on the City's online search tool, the Waste Wizard.

• If you buy a real Christmas tree, remove all decorations, nails, wire, and plastic bags and place tree outside for collection.  Do not place your Christmas tree in a plastic bag or tree bag when placing your tree outside for collection on your garbage pick-up day (during the four weeks of January 2012 – check your collection calendar for your regular scheduled garbage collection day). Collected Christmas trees are shredded, combined with leaf and yard waste material and turned into finished compost.

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