For some, recycling is the very last thing that comes to mind at Christmas. Amid the decorations, lights and gifts, who really has time to think about recycling? But what if I told you that you can recycle at Christmas and still enjoy the decorations, lights and gifts? You don’t have to leave your home and the best part is that you don’t have to spend a cent!
1. Decorations – I can not tell you the last time that I bought Christmas decorations. My decorations have been in rotation for years. This is a great way to save money on decorations. Carefully pack away your decorations so that you can use them again next year!
2. Lights – As with the decorations, I save my lights for the following Christmas. But the shelf-life on lights is not an exact science, so I would advise that you check them in either November of early December to make sure that they still work.
3. Christmas trees – I’ve had an artificial tree since the nineties and it’s still going strong. I have the original box which I use to store the tree in. Some “live” Christmas trees can be planted and enjoyed all year round.
4. Gift bags – I have so many gift bags, that I refuse to throw away. They always come in handy when I’m giving a gift to someone. I make a small tag out of a piece of paper on which I write my greeting. I then attach it to the gift using a piece of string or ribbon.
5. Wrapping paper – If you have wrapping paper that you did not use, don’t throw it away. Save it for next Christmas. If you have wrapped paper that hasn’t been ripped to pieces, you can also reuse it.
6. Bows and ribbon – Bows and ribbon can be saved to wrap other presents throughout the year. This is one of the easiest ways that you can recycle at Christmas.
7. Cards – It’s rare to get a Christmas card these days, but if you do don’t throw it away! You can reuse postcards to make gift tags for the next year. Or you can use them to make pretty gift boxes (I need to try this one).