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10 Green Holiday Tips for the Home & Office:

Reduce Food Waste: This time of year is a time of excess resulting in large amount of food waste. Why not plan for the right amount of food to save money and reduce food waste. If you over estimated, donate the leftovers to a local shelter, food bank or freeze it for later before it spoils.

Recyclable Shopping Bags: Bring your own shopping bags to the mall or grocery stores. Using and reusing cloth bags can reduce the thousands of bags that end up in landfills. If you do use paper or plastic bags, recycle them.

Throw a Green Holiday Party: Going Green for the holidays should be carried over to any parties or gatherings that you have at home or the office. Clearly label recycling containers for cans, bottles and other recyclables. Of course, a Green Party can be held year ‘round, check out our blog, ‘Throw a Green Party this Labor Day’ and make it your New Year’s Resolution to continue your Green Initiatives into the new year.

Forgo the Paper Card & Costly Postage: Sending out Holiday Cards that often end up in trash heaps unread have a triple whammy on the environment – paper comes from trees, delivery costs money, delivery sends carbons into our atmosphere. Using eCards to offer holiday wishes instead. If you feel the absolutely need to send a physical card, use recycled ones & hand deliver, when possible..

LED Holiday Lights & Timers: LED Lights use up to 80% less energy and last 10 times longer. Also, use a timer or turn lights off during the day and late evening.

Creative Gift Giving: The GIFT OF TIME will be much more appreciated than a tacky Christmas sweater or cheesy tie. Give thoughtful gifts that are more meaningful and useful. Give tickets to a show, concert or game; passes to a state or national park, gift certificates for dinner or a spa day. Make your own coupons for personal services, such as free babysitting, a home cooked meal, helping an elderly relative with everyday chores or home maintenance. Think outside the box about ways to spread goodwill and cheer throughout the year!

Opt for Eco-friendly Wrapping Alternatives: Use old posters, maps, newspapers, reusable gift bags to present your gifts this holiday season. Cookie tins, flower pots and baskets are a creative and green way to place a present in a present.

Stop Junk Mail: This time of year, the amount of catalogs and charitable donation solicitations can fill recycle bins at lightening speed. Sometimes it feels as if charitable donations go directly into re-solicitations of donations. If you’d like to stop the endless cycle, Check Out this article by eco-cycle that will help your put the kibosh on junk mail.

Rechargeable Batteries: About 40% of battery sales occur during the holiday season. Help out the environment by buying rechargeable batteries and making sure to safely recycle any old batteries.

Recycle Electronics and Cell Phones: This is the time of year when new electronics and cell phones are snatched off the shelf and presented in pretty packages and bags under the tree. PLEASE make sure to safely recycle or find a good home for your old electronics.

The more people that set a GREEN Example, the better chance our society has to succeed in educating those around us how a little thought and creativity can change a mindset that has been long in the making.

Give the world the gift of lowering your carbon footprint –we only have one earth and the holiday season should be a celebration of the beauty of nature, a true gift we all can appreciate!

Share on our Facebook page some of the ways you get into the Green of the Season by reducing, reusing and recycling.

It’s that time of year again! The kids are heading back to school and mothers around the nation are celebrating. They survived the long, dog days of summer and fall is on its way. Why not make it a ‘school year resolution’ to begin getting into eco-friendly routines that can help the planet and save you some big bucks.

Consciously making an effort to reduce, reuse and recycle can really be a money saver that will add a little padding to your wallet. Just imagine how much better off our world would be if we all made an effort to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible.

Check out these great recycling strategies that not only benefit the environment, it benefits your budget and sets an excellent example for the next generation.

7 Great Ways to Celebrate Back to School By Upping Your Recycling Efforts:

Reuse what you can from last year and rethink how you purchase your child’s school supplies – It might feel good to start the school year off with all new stuff, such as clothing, binders, folders, pens and pencils. But isn’t this just wasteful use of our resources; trees, water, energy, etc… If you do have to buy new stuff, make an effort to buy supplies made from recycled content, such as pencils made from newsprint.
Cut out the Brown bag lunches! EarthShare, an organization that promotes sustainability, shares that the average student who brings their lunch to school produces 67 pounds of waste a year. That adds up to 18,000+ pounds of waste produced by an average elementary school in one year. Invest in a lunchbox, reusable plastic containers, cloth napkins and a thermos. Avoid buying individually packaged foods – that adds up to a lot of unnecessary trash.
Ditch the Disposable Water Bottles. Save the planet and save some money by using filtrated tap water and stainless steel insulated sports water bottles, they keep the water cooler.Those plastic water bottles are bad for you and bad for the environment. This article by hydralife tells you why bottled water is so bad for you. The production of Plastic water bottles use 17 million barrels of oil each year in the US alone and contribute to 3 billion pounds of waste per year. These bottles are killing the ocean and its inhabitants.
Put Your Child on the Bus & Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions. If the bus is not an option, set up a carpool with neighbors or arrange for a chaperoned “walkpool”. You’ll save gas and get some exercise in the process!
Become a Recycling Pro and Advocate. While this should go without saying, many households across the US have still failed to embrace recycling. The earth’s resource
s are limited and the more we recycle, the better it is for all of earth’s inhabitants. Click Here for some recycling facts. Parents need to set a good example by upping their recycling efforts and becoming an advocate for ec0-friendly living.
Recycle Old Cellphones and Batteries. Batteries release toxic wastes or metals that leach into ground water and into the air when not properly disposed. Click Here to find a battery and cellphone recycling center near you and avoid dumping them in landfills, at all costs.
Reduce Electrical Waste. Many fail to recognize that electrical waste is happening on a daily basis inside the home. There are many ways to reduce the amount of wasted electricity; have family members turn off lights, unplug cellphone, tablet and laptop chargers when not in use. Buy Smart Power Strips that will stop drawing electricity from appliances that are turned off.

So there you have it, 7 simple and effective ways that your household can help the planet and save money. The big bonus of embracing these environmental friendly practices is that you are setting a good example for your children, which will be passed down for generations to come. If you’d like to become an advocate for ‘Greener Schools’, check out this video by Green Schools Initiative and get your child’s school on the road to a green future!

Share on our Facebook page some of the ways your family has lessened its carbon footprint.

Waste Masters Solutions – Large enough to get the job done, small enough to care!

At Waste Masters, our objective has always been to provide our clients with reliable, flexible and high-quality waste management solutions. With more than 100 years of experience under our collective belts, our clients have come to rely upon our expertise, personalized service and extensive industry knowledge — turning to us for all of their waste-handling needs.

As a privately owned company with trained professionals on staff and access to a nationwide network of partners, we’re able to offer our clients an assortment of innovative environmental solutions including recycling, commercial and industrial waste solutions, concrete washout, porta potty restroom services and more, serving Delaware and the Tri-State area.