How to lower your carbon footprint after the holidays

(NEW YORK) — The Christmas season is one of the most carbon-intensive holidays of the year, experts say.

The carbon footprint of the holiday season — from eating and drinking to giving and receiving — can weigh heavily on the environment. Household waste increases by more than 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, from 4 million to 5 million tons, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Those who celebrate can significantly lower their individual carbon footprints with these tips:

Dispose of organic decorations properly

After the holiday, it’s important to think about the best way to dispose of organic decorations, including everything from Christmas trees to wreaths and poinsettias, according to Keep America Beautiful, a community improvement nonprofit.

An estimated 25 million to 30 million live Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. every year, according to the Sierra Club.

After the holidays, trees and other plant decorations are often sent to the nearest landfill every year, adding to the millions of tons of organic materials that will release methane while decomposing. Just like carbon dioxide, methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

Experts say there are several easy alternatives to throwing out your organic holiday decorations.

However, before you get started, you need to make sure that your tree and any other holiday decorations are free of any non-organic materials. These should be discarded in the trash.

One popular alternative is composting. This can be done in your backyard or at a local community-based composting program. Real Christmas trees, wreaths and poinsettias are all biodegradable.

Tree recycling and mulching programs are a fast-growing trend in communities across the country, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. They chip and shred the trees, making mulch that can be used for landscaping.

If you have a garden or other outdoor area, you could also place your Christmas tree outside and use it as a bird feeder or sanctuary. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, fresh orange slices or strung popcorn will attract birds to the tree and they can use the branches for shelter.

Recycled Christmas trees can even be used to combat coastal erosion. For over 25 years, New Orleans has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Army National Guard in an annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program.

The recycled trees are placed in the wetlands at Bayou Sauvage Urban National Wildlife Refuge to help protect the natural marsh and shoreline by reducing wave action and slowing erosion, according to officials.

Reuse as much as possible

One of the easiest ways to keep the holidays sustainable is to reuse the things that help to create joy and magic, according to experts.

Things like ornaments, gift bags and other holiday decor can be stored for years to come and can even eventually become family heirlooms passed down through generations, according to Keep America Beautiful.

Even leftover food can be repurposed into new dishes, said Lauren Gropper, co-founder and CEO of Repurpose, a brand of compostable household goods, adding that discarded food is one of the biggest sources of methane in the world.

Organic materials, including food waste, are responsible for 58% of fugitive methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Gift wrapping is a huge source of waste. The production of 1 pound of wrapping paper generates 3.5 pounds of carbon emissions and uses up 1.3 pounds of fossil fuel, according to the Ecology Center, an environmental nonprofit.

Getting creative with gift wrapping can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of gift-giving.

Gropper once worked in the construction and architecture industry, and old plans were often repurposed into gift wrapping, she said.

“It looks so cool,” she said. “I think small swaps make a huge difference.”

The same can be done with newspaper and the back of paper grocery bags — just top it off with a ribbon or bow repurposed from the year before, she said.