Holidays Cause Consumer Consumption
Facts on Waste at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Other Holidays
Nov 11, 2008 Patricia Faulhaber
Tis the season for cookies, trees, lighting, gift giving and gift wrapping. Ever wonder just how much extra waste is produced through the months of November and December each year? The season tis the reason for the unfathomable facts listed below.
Waste Produced From Thanksgiving to New Years Day
Throughout the months of November and December, household waste, according to www.recycleworks.org, increases by more than 25 percent. All of the shopping bags, food waste, packaging, and the wrapping paper and accessories add up to one million more tons a week being added to the landfills.
Some reports show four million tons of gift-wrap and shopping bags alone per season. Half of the paper consumed each year is used to wrap gifts. Thirty-eight thousand miles of that seemingly harmless ribbon used for wrapping always gets tossed each year. For perspective, the Earth’s circumference is 25,000 miles.
Holiday Cards
Those lovely Christmas cards that everyone loves to receive but not necessarily send, total up to 1.9 billion cards sent per year. All of those cards, according to Plenty Magazine (December-January 2009), requires 300,000 new trees to be harvested per year.
Christmas Trees, Wreaths, Decorations
Fifty million Christmas trees are purchased each year and about 30 million of those trees end up in the landfills. Over 20 million trees were cut in the United States in the year 2002. Consumers spent over 15 billion dollars in 2005 on new holiday decorations including tree ornaments and lights.
It took over 5 miles of wire to string the lights on the tree in New York City’s Rockefeller Center in 2007. The White House hangs 269 wreaths each year.
It’s All About the Gifts
The average American spends 800 dollars on gifts each holiday season. And, 40 percent of battery purchases are made over the holiday season. According to a national survey, 70 percent of Americans would welcome less emphasis on giving so many gifts.
Nonetheless, gift giving will always be a part of the holidays. To help reduce its effective on the environment, buying less is one option and shopping online is another way to help. Online shopping can reduce greenhouse gases from gas emissions by decreasing the number of miles driven by consumers.
Save the Environment – The Greatest Gift of All
All of the above facts were first reported by recycleworks.org and Plenty magazine. After realizing the results of just two special months of the year, if each American reduced their activities or gift giving by two or three, just think of the positive impact that would make on the environment. It just might be the most important gift of the season.
Holiday Waste Reduces Green.
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