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DUE TO THE much commercialized celebration of the birth of Jesus in the manger, the threat of brimming bins and burgeoning dumpsites is real. This is sadly the season for excess garbage. Trash has become a toxic appendage to the joyful celebration.
Wasteful consumption devours huge quantities of raw materials and energy as well as creates lots of discards and pollutants, including greenhouse gases that cause our planet to heat up. Any increase in the volume of trash is both environmentally stressing and financially draining. We therefore appeal to all to think before you throw and make it a daily habit to waste less and recycle more.
Consider these practical tips every Juan can certainly do: 1) Reduce unnecessary purchases; 2) Replace toxic products in shopping list with ecological substitutes; 3) Reject plastic bags and goods in multiple packaging; 4) Reuse unwanted items and leftovers; 5) Recycle glass, metal, paper, plastic and other recyclables; and 7) Rot kitchen, garden and other biodegradable discards into compost.
There is a need to intensify ecological waste management to divert more discards away from the destructive practice of burning or dumping. This is not rocket science. There are practical “reuse ideas” for the typical yuletide discards. For wrappers: neatly fold and recycle for the next gift-giving or use as cover for books or as packing material. For bows and ribbons: keep them in a shoe box and use for other special occasions or reuse for arts and crafts projects, doll hair or stuffed toy makeovers or to add a creative touch on candleholders and vases. For boxes: stock them up or reuse to store bows and ribbons, greeting cards, photos, arts and sewing supplies, pens and pencils, small toys and household odds and ends. For greeting cards: turn them into ornaments for Christmas trees and garlands or reuse as bookmarks or as decorative add-ons in scrapbooks. For paper and plastic bags: save them for future use such as for carrying or storing stuff.
Finding creative reuse for the usual Christmas discards can help clean up the environment, while saving valuable resources and savoring good memories from being burned or buried.
Why don’t we give our frail Mother Nature a holiday favor by refraining from uncaringly throwing discards from the Christmas gift-giving and festive bash?
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