It’s that time of year again! The holidays are a great time to unwind, reconnect with friends and family, and to enjoy a hearty helping of your favorite Christmas cookies. Unfortunately, the holidays are also a time of year that produces a lot of excess waste! The U.S. actually generates an additional 5 million tons of waste during the holiday season. And what’s worse – 4 million tons of that is actually just wrapping paper and shopping bags!
The good news is, you can make a difference this holiday season by gift-giving the fun and environmentally responsible way. Last week I paid a special visit to the new Austin Creative Reuse Center (a treasure trove of creative waste reduction) and came away with these excellent tips:
1. Do not buy wrapping paper this year! The founder of Austin Creative Reuse, Rebecca Stuch, says that you can wrap all of your presents for about $5 by shopping at ACR. They have rows and rows of gently used gift bags (selling for about 25 cents a piece), as well as piles of unique fabric samples that they will show you how to turn into one-of-a-kind gift wrap.
2. Don’t buy new Christmas ornaments! ACR has got you covered. They have used ornaments for sale at cut-rate prices, as well as lots of supplies and tips to make creative ornaments of your very own.
3. Shop for gifts made out of reused or recycled materials. ACR sells a wide variety of beautiful handcrafted goods made by local artisans out of reused materials right here in Austin.
4. Make your own holiday decorations. ACR staff can even show you how to make a wreath out of materials that would otherwise have gone straight to the landfill!
5. Avoid store-bought cards. Instead, make your own with materials salvaged by ACR. You’ll avoid purchasing new paper products, and your cards will end up more special anyway.
6. Make your own shopping bags. ACR sells special kits to teach you how to make your very own fashionable shopping bag out of reused fabric samples.
7. Get your own creative juices flowing! Reuse can be fun. Stop by ACR, see what they treasures they have to offer, and think up a waste-reducing gift idea of your very own!
Austin Creative Reuse is a nonprofit organization (and EcoNetwork Partner) that collects, sells, and distributes donated reusable materials. They’re open on Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm, Thursdays from 11am to 8pm, and Saturday from 10am to 2pm. They’re located in the Linc Shopping Center at 6406 N. IH35, Suite 1801.
