Sustainable Holidays — Gift Giving, Wrapping, and Gathering Tips

The holidays generate a lot of waste — from gift wrap and packaging to food scraps and single-use plates. A few simple choices can significantly cut your impact while keeping the season festive.

Sustainable Gift Ideas

• Experiences over things — museum passes, restaurant gift cards, concert tickets, or a donation in someone's name
• Homemade gifts — baked goods, preserves, or DIY kits packaged in reusable jars
• The gift of repair — mend a favorite jacket, fix a broken heirloom, or give a gift card for a local repair shop
• Secondhand finds — quality used items from thrift stores, vintage shops, or Buy Nothing groups
• Shop local and green — support businesses in the California Green Business Network
• Regift thoughtfully — pass along new-condition items that aren't right for you

Gift Wrapping

Skip the store-bought wrapping paper and try:

• Paper bags, old maps, children's artwork, or newspaper comics
• Fabric wraps (reusable year after year)
• Calendars, sheet music, or magazine pages

Sorting after unwrapping:

• Paper gift wrap — recycling bin
• Metallic or glitter wrap — garbage (not recyclable)
• Tissue paper — compost
• Cardboard boxes — recycling bin (flatten first)
• Plastic bags and crinkly packaging — garbage
• Rigid plastics (#1–2) — recycling bin
• Ribbons and bows — save and reuse

Low-Waste Holiday Gatherings

• Use real plates and utensils — borrow or rent extra place settings if needed
• Compost food scraps and food-soiled paper goods
• Save takeout containers for sending guests home with leftovers
• Plan portions carefully to avoid food waste — visit StopFoodWaste.org for tools and tips
• Collect vegetable trimmings for composting or freeze for homemade stock

Holiday Tree Disposal

• Fresh trees, wreaths, and garland can go in your green compost cart — remove all decorations, tinsel, stands, and hooks first
• Flocked trees ("snow-covered") contain chemicals and must go in your garbage cart
• Many cities offer curbside tree pickup in early January — check with your hauler for dates

Resources

• Curbside sorting: What goes in your bins
• RE:Source Guide: resource.stopwaste.org
• Food waste tips: StopFoodWaste.org